Lost Blood Jasper POV
by Lauren Hale
Summary: Basically New Moon from Jasper Hale's point of view, enjoy :


This book was written with the understanding that the readers would already have known about the characters included in the story. Lost Blood is a rewrite of New Moon and all of the included characters* are property of Stephenie Meyer and no rights belong to the author of this book, the basic storyline and ideas belong to its creator as well. All other ideas belong to the author of Lost Blood, Lauren Staynor.  
These following points will outline the main things you need to know at the beginning of the story:

The Cullen's are Vampires that have chosen to live off the blood of animals, not humans

Edward Cullen can read everyone's mind but Bella's

Alice Cullen can see the future, subjectively

Jasper Hale can control and manipulate the emotions of others around him

Lost Blood Copyright (c) Lauren Staynor AKA Lauren Hale. All respectives characters belong to the original author

Chapter 1  
I lingered at Alice's side a moment longer, Bella – Edwards' girlfriend – was to be over later tonight, and considering the fact that my self control isn't all that good, I ought to go on a hunt. Alice, was now decorating the room with roses and vases, it reminded me of Bella's scent. The fiery burn ripped through my throat, but in that same second it was gone. Alice appeared happy, but I could tell she was anxious about something. "What is it?" I asked her.  
"Bella won't want to come." She complained.  
I thought about this for a moment, a normal person would think she wouldn't come because she's in a house filled with vampires, but Bella didn't like any attention drawn to herself, so she didn't want to go. Alice became sad, voicing her vision aloud and I wouldn't stand it. If Alice asked her to come over while I was around, I was pretty sure I could get her to comply, Bella wouldn't say no after she said yes, even if she didn't want to go. "Thanks Jaz, she'll come now." Alice said, kissing me and skipping off.  
Edward walked through the door, a strong scent of Bella radiated off him which reminded me I needed to hunt. "You do." Edward said, answering my thoughts.  
I nodded once and turned to leave, but Alice ran over to me. "Take Edward," She voiced "Edward, I don't care if you can stand her scent without killing her. You're eyes are black as coal, you need to hunt."  
I smiled. "Sure." Edward said.  
He seemed happy somehow, sure he'd probably spent the night watching Bella sleep but I still wasn't used to Edwards' happy emotions being this strong. "Come on, I bet I can beat you there." Edward said, referring to the point we always raced to.  
_Sure, but I'll win, _I thought. "We'll see."  
We jumped out the second story window and ran to the finish. I couldn't remember why I had thought I would win, everyone knew Edward was the fastest of us all, but I wouldn't give up quite yet. "Don't even think about it." He warned, up ahead.  
"Think about what?" I teased.  
"Controlling my emotions."  
Edward didn't sound too worried about what I might do, but by the time I decided to use it he had already won. "I'm glad I didn't bet." I stated.  
"Unfortunate, isn't it?" He joked.  
Our attention shifted to the group of elk, about twenty metres to the left of us. I moved first, letting my instincts take control. The elk weren't as good as mountain lions, or bears but they were enough to sustain us. My mouth hit the elks neck just as it turned to run, and Edward was attacking another one.  
It continued like that for another half an hour. "You ready to go?" I asked, as I watched Edward finish off his last elk.  
"Sure." He said.  
We ran back to the house, but once we were half way he slowed down and eventually stopped. _What is it? _I asked in my head.  
"I'm going to Bella's place." He answered.  
Edward turned to face a different direction, west I think, and started to run. _I should have known... _After that I picked up my pace and ran back.

Chapter 2:  
Emmett and Rosalie had returned from Africa, to be here for Bella's birthday. Of course, it was mainly Emmett that wanted to come; Rosalie would rather be anywhere else. I crossed the carpeted floor and stood next to Alice. "She'll be here soon." She stated.  
I nodded, as Carlisle and Esme made their way down into the huge white living room. Alice had fixed up the room nicely, pink candles and crystal bowls that held roses were in every place they could possibly fit. There was a table, near Edward's piano that held a cake –although I wasn't sure why we had gotten that- and presents, neatly presented in a pile. If I knew Bella at all, she wouldn't like it.  
Luckily, I hadn't needed to convince Bella to come, Edward had done it himself. Even though I had hunted earlier, I took my place at the back of the room, for Bella's safety, and after Edward's unspoken request. Alice stood beside me, but I was sure that as soon as Bella entered, she would leave my side to greet her.  
Rosalie and Emmett followed shortly after Carlisle, Emmett, appearing very happy, and Rosalie was visually and emotionally annoyed. I frowned at this, Rosalie had never taken a likeness to Bella, which was too bad for her, because Alice enjoyed her time with Bella.  
We all heard the car at the same time, a subtle laughing and then a door being opened. We stood patiently waiting for Bella and Edward to enter. "Happy birthday Bella!" We chorused as she entered the room.  
Bella began to blush and looked down, and as she did I looked away, no chances, not tonight. Bella became distressed as she took in the room, but Edward managed to comfort her by wrapping an arm around her waist, and kissing her on her forehead.  
How he could manage the burn that went through is throat was unknown to me, and I suddenly felt weak again. I kept my focus on Bella, calming her as she went to greet everyone. Esme was first, and then Carlisle, they spoke to her but I paid no attention to the words. I could sense Emmett's happiness wash through him as he greeted Bella. "You haven't changed at all." He said, "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."  
I stifled my laugh and turned my attention away from Bella and onto Alice, who was holding my hand and too eager to be closer to Bella. After a few words, Emmett left the room, after an obvious wink to Alice. _Present number one, _I thought. Alice let go of my hand and skipped towards Bella, I smiled, but stayed where I was leaning against a post by the stairs, _no chances_.  
Bella studied me quickly, and a small but strong wave of sudden sadness went through her. What was she thinking? "Time to open presents," Alice had told Bella, while I was busy trying to think of reasons why Bella would be sad while she looked at me.  
Alice took Bella over to the table, everyone's gaze kept solely upon them. "Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything-" Bella began.  
"But I don't listen." Alice interrupted, that was my Alice, "Open it."  
I smiled again, watching Bella begin to open a square wrapped box. This one was from myself, Emmett and Rosalie. Bella was confused for a moment, probably over the weightlessness of the present. Bella unwrapped it, unsurely at first, and stared at the box. She opened it to find it empty, I laughed at the look on her face, and the complete and utter confusion that went through her. She looked over to me as I explained, "It's a stereo for your truck, Emmett's installing in now, so you can't return it."  
Thanks to Alice, we had figured what Bella would do. "Thanks Jasper, Rosalie, thanks Emmett!" She spoke Emmett's name louder, so he could hear it and she was grinning.  
We all heard Emmett's laugh, even Bella which made her happier, and she laughed too. Alice picked up another wrapped present and said "Open mine and Edward's next."  
Bella was once again, slightly upset but I knew the reason to this. I moved slightly closer, but still keeping my distance to see the present, I hadn't been told what it was, but I had some theories. "You promised." Bella stated, staring at Edward.  
Emmett entered and playfully yelled "Just in time!"  
Emmett came up just behind me and started to watch intently as the rest did. "I didn't spend a dime." Edward insisted, brushing a strand of hair off of Bella's face.  
"Give it to me," Bella said, turning back to Alice.  
Emmett was delighted and began chuckling, I did my best to ignore his shaking body. Bella began to open the present, rolling her eyes at Edward. "Shoot." I heard her say.  
I studied her closely, finding out what had caused her to speak. But it was too late. Only a small amount of blood came out of the paper cut, but I hadn't been expecting it and it took me by surprise. "No!" I heard Edward yell, as I ran towards my prey.  
He pushed Bella back onto some glass, which caused her to bleed more intensely. I slammed into Edward, as the animal inside me took over, and I gnarled, snapping my teeth, trying to get to my prey. Unexpectedly Emmett came up behind me and held me in his grip, I kept on struggling, trying to get the warm blood that was swimming out of Bella's cuts caused by the glass. My eyes were locked onto her and I wasn't going to give up.

Chapter 3:  
My throat burned for the blood that flowed freely from Bella, but I couldn't reach it. Emmett's grip only tightened at the smell of the blood, but I could tell it was still hard for him. I struggled against his grip, but it was no use, he was the strongest of all of us.  
Carlisle, though surprised was still calm and said; "Emmett, Rose, get Jasper outside."  
Hearing Carlisle's voice must have reassured Emmett and caused him to concentrate as he said "Come on Jasper."  
I wouldn't let Emmett take me away from my prey, I struggled more, and turned my attention to Emmett, my teeth snapping wildly at him. The burn in my throat needed the blood that waited so freely on the floor, Edward growled. Rosalie stepped in front of me, a safe distance away, just missing my teeth.  
Together, Emmett and Rosalie managed to remove me from the room, through a glass door Esme held open, one hand covering her mouth. I continued struggling against their grips, but soon the scent faded and I was outside. Emmett noticed my sudden realisation of what had just happened, but obviously he wasn't taking any chances, and began to pull me further away from the house.  
I took deep breaths, clearing my mind of Bella's scent, and soon I began to calm. Esme and Rosalie were close by, watching my every move.  
Eventually we reached the woods, Emmett had seen no need to run and had been holding me all this way, walking at a humane pace. _Calm, _I thought, sending out the wave of emotion to everyone close to me. Emmett let me go, and as he did Rosalie and Esme stood in front of me, slightly defensive, waiting for me to slip up again. I sighed, I had demolished all trust gained by my family, and Bella.  
We were close enough that we could still here what was going on inside, but I didn't bother to listen. I had failed Edward and... Alice. Alice, my wife, the love of my life, and I had tried to kill her best friend, she must be so disappointed.  
I began running, away from the house and further into the forest, Emmett made a move to follow me, but stopped. I continued running, I had ruined everything, and I would be lucky if Edward didn't kill me himself. I stopped when I couldn't even hear Emmett or Rosalie talking. I needed my time alone. I endanger everyone when I am near them, I shouldn't be near humanity, or even my kind.  
I just stood by a great oak tree, for what seemed to be hours, but was only a few minutes, rerunning everything that had happened through my head, except for the scent.  
_How had I been so foolish? _I asked myself, ashamed as I realised what Edward might do. If he killed me, that would be fair, I deserved to die, but Alice wouldn't be happy, and she would never like Edward again after that. I had ruined my family over a small bit of blood. I was pathetic.  
I heard a sound, the leaves and sticks rustled as someone ran closer to me. I stood still, whatever was going to happen to me was fair. Edward appeared from the tree's, his face unemotional but his emotions were not what I had expected. There was only a slight trace of anger, he was sad, and extremely depressed. _What have I done? _I thought, not necessarily to Edward.  
I looked down, only sure of one thing, Edward was not going to kill me. "Jasper, it wasn't your fault." He said, stopping a metre or so away from me.  
"It was," I said, not thinking this through in my head, "I shouldn't have been that close, I shouldn't have been there at all."  
Edward sighed at this, something he usually did when he agreed with me. His face, still unemotional, looked paler than usual. "It was a risk, Jasper. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine." He finished.  
Edward turned around, noticing the sound as soon as I did. Soon Alice appeared in the same gap of tree's Edward had. They both exchanged sorrowful glances, and Edward ran off, back to the house probably. I didn't bother saying anything, there was no use, either Alice hated me or she didn't, and I wouldn't blame her if she did. Alice came next to me and caressed me, "You didn't hurt her Jasper." She said, "It wasn't your fault."  
Her words, though meant to be assuring made me feel worse, it felt like a lie was being formed through her lips, and I didn't like the sound of it. "What's going to happen?" I asked.  
Alice, took her time to form her vision into words, "We'll go to the Denali clan..." She began, I sensed she saw something worse ahead, but I didn't ask what.  
"I'll leave you alone now, but I'll be back." She said, and kissed me slowly.  
I pulled back, and she ran off. I decided to run back to the area where Emmett had let go of me, I wanted to see if Bella still had my trust, I doubt she would, but I needed to hear it anyway.  
When Emmett saw me he tensed, began to take a defensive position. "You shouldn't go up there." He warned.  
I didn't bother with controlling his emotions, I could hear just fine here. I took my place, leaning against a tree and closed my eyes, listening to the conversation. "Alice," I heard Bella say, heading through the back door with her.  
"Yes?" Alice said.  
"How bad is it?" Bella continued.  
"I'm not sure." Alice said, most likely lying, she saw everything, well almost everything.  
"How's Jasper?" Bella asked.  
I stiffened at the mention of my name, and noticed Emmett was watching me intently.  
"He's very unhappy with himself. It's all so much more of challenge for him, and he hates feeling weak." Alice said, speaking the truth.  
Alice knew me so well. "It's not his fault. You'll tell him that I'm not mad at him, not at all, won't you?" Bella asked Alice.  
"Of course."  
But I already knew, I still wasn't happy though. It was Edward who I was worried about. Edward seemed to continuously have thoughts that Bella was better without him, or us. What had happened tonight could have been the final straw, and it would have been my fault.

Chapter 4:  
Bella left with Edward that night, a slight tension between them, undoubtedly caused by me. I had decided to linger in the woods that surrounded my house, thankfully not interrupted by anyone. Every now and then, when I got close enough to hear the conversation inside, I would hear glimpses of Alice talking about her visions.  
Alice, was pretty sure that Edward was going to call a family meeting, but by her words, I could tell that whatever was said during it would not be good. Most of the time, they were talking about how out of control I had gotten, so quickly. I don't blame them for talking about it, but once in a while, they stopped, when they realised I was listening in.  
I jumped off a damp branch from a nearby tree, thirty metres above the ground. The family began to hover in the living room, awaiting Edward probably. Not wanting to cause any more of a fuss, I made my way into the house and stood behind Alice. My arms wrapped around her waist, and I sensed her happiness to see me. She looked up to me, probably assessing my mood, and smiled, which I returned with one of my own, but not as enthusiastically.  
Rosalie turned back to look at me, regret flowing through her. I caught her gaze and held it, until she gave up, and walked into Emmett's embrace. "One minute." Alice announced.  
We all listened closely, and then heard Edward's footsteps. He walked through the door, his face unreadable, but his emotions were different. He was filled with remorse, and suffering, although it didn't seem to be directed towards me. _Meeting? _I asked Edward, just as the others most likely were. Edward just nodded, and made his way into the kitchen, with all of us trailing behind.  
"We need to talk." Edward said, as everyone took seats.  
We didn't necessarily need to sit down, but it all appeared, and felt, less aggressive than if we were standing. Edward, sat at the head of the table, with Carlisle at the opposite head. I sat down opposite Alice with Emmet next to me. "We have to leave." Edward said.  
Surprise filled most of our faces, but Carlisle and Alice, seemed to have seen this coming. "Why Edward?" Esme asked.  
Edward began to talk, but Carlisle interrupted. "Edward's right. With my age issue and the danger we put Bella in, every time we are near her, now is the time to leave." He said.  
Edward seemed happy that Carlisle understood, his reason for leaving, but I didn't think it was a reason at all. "Why Edward?" Alice asked. "Why not another year, and then Bella could..."  
Edward's anger grew as he saw what Alice was seeing. "I'm not going to change her Alice, and she's better off without any of us here." Edward clarified.  
"So you're just going to get up and leave, leave the one you love?" She argued.  
Edward shook his head at this "She's safer without any of us; she's in no danger if we leave." Edward said.  
Alice began to argue, but Edward stopped her. "Alice please, she's your best friend, don't you want her to be safe?"  
"She's safer with us Edward."  
Carlisle shook his head. "Come on Edward, it was one mistake tonight, don't make a big thing out of this." Emmett complained.  
Emmett loved Bella like his own sister, and also thought Edward was overreacting. I stayed quiet throughout the debate, I had no opinions to voice, I would go with whatever they decided. "It wasn't just a mistake Emmett, I hurt her while I was trying to protect her." Edward said.  
"Yeah, but she's not dead." Emmett said, shooting an apologising glance over to me.  
"Bella will be safer if we leave." Rosalie clarified.  
_What a surprise, _I thought. I looked round the table, Alice was distraught with the idea of leaving her best friend, and Esme didn't look any happier. "I understand what you mean Edward." Esme said reluctantly.  
"Thank you," Edward said, "And what about you, Jasper?"  
My eyes flicked up to Edward, and I noticed everyone's eyes fall to me. "You've already decided Edward, and I can't change that." I said.  
Alice gave me a pleading look, but Edward had his mind set, and no one could change that. _Your making a mistake, _I thought to Edward, deciding that he should at least know what he was doing. He turned his head to me, and sighed, finally showing emotion on his face. His golden eyes seemed uncertain at this decision, he seemed upset about it.  
"Carlisle, it would be best if you all left tomorrow, I'll catch up in a few days." Edward said.  
"I'll call Tanya and tell her we're coming." Carlisle replied, reaching for the phone in his pocket.  
"I'll start packing." Esme announced.  
"Me too." Rosalie said.  
They all moved from the table and left quickly, it wasn't the first time we had to move so quickly, there had been other incidents before that. "How will it go Alice?" Edward asked.  
"You'll tell her after school one day, she wants to come..." Alice answered.  
"Alice, you know I can't take her." Edward said angrily.  
I sent a calming vibe over the rest of us, and watched the reactions take place. Alice began to lean back in her chair, and Edward stopped arguing and slowly stood up, Emmett stopped grimacing and began to sit straight. "I better go back to Bella, I told her I wouldn't leave..." Edward said, and made his way outside.  
Emmett stood up from his seat and walked away without a word, upset about the conversation. "We should go to the Denali Clan too." Alice voiced.  
I looked down, I had made so many mistakes. "It'll be better there, just us, no... humans." Alice continued.  
I thought for a minute, going there, for help, would be like admitting defeat, but I had made the mistake, so I might as well try not to ever make the mistake again. "Okay." I said.  
Alice shot me a smile and walked off upstairs. These few seconds by myself gave me too much time to think; I stood up and wandered over to my room, knowing it was my fault.

Chapter 5:  
By one in the morning, everything of ours was packed. All that was left were the items that Edward wanted left for him, like clothes and books. Most of the furniture was covered in white cotton cloths, we would be back eventually, when no one would recognise us, and Bella would never see us ever again. The thought made me frown, if I had just kept my control for a few more seconds, and walked out the room, Bella could have been with Edward, and eventually be my sister. But now, there was no hope of that, I just proved Edward's theory of us being dangerous.  
While packing, I received many sympathetic looks from others; of course this just reminded me of the incident, and didn't really make me feel any better. All of our items had been packed into our cars, Rosalie would be driving with Alice to Denali in her M3, while Carlisle and Esme took his Mercedes. I was stuck with Emmett, which wasn't that bad, in his jeep. The drive from here to Alaska – for us – would be a day or two.  
I carried the box filled with computer accessories into the garage and placed it into the Mercedes trunk. I closed it softly, and a sharp bang echoed through the room. I turned to leave when a hand gripped my shoulder, it was Carlisle. "Jasper, I know you're upset with yourself, but this is all for the best." He assured me.  
"Carlisle, if... if I hadn't –" I began.  
"No, Jasper," Carlisle said "There's no if's with this. This is what has happened and now we live with it, we adapt."  
Carlisle's words were slightly soothing, while his golden eyes stared deeply into mine, as if trying to figure something out. I nodded, and headed back upstairs, knowing there was nothing else I needed to say.  
Alice stood in our room, hands behind her back, and looking around. She seemed so peaceful, but I had seen that look before, her plans, were not going to work. "Jasper," She began, "How can we stop Edward from leaving?"  
I could tell that she had easily gone through more than ten plans, and all of them had failed. "We can't Alice, you know that." I said, walking towards her.  
She sighed sadly, which made me sad too. This idea not only hurt Bella, it hurt Alice, my Alice. I took her into my arms, as she said "Jasper, we should see Bella, just once before we leave."  
I was startled at this idea, and looked down into her eyes. "And how will that turn out?" I asked.  
She began to frown and sighed again, "We should be able to say goodbye, Bella will be hysterical that we are leaving, and Edward will be mad... very mad."  
Alice looked down, awaiting my answer. But how could I say no? Every part of her, wanted to talk to her best friend one more time. It was my fault in the first place, that we were leaving now. "We could try, okay?" I said, tilting her chin up towards mine.  
She nodded, and I continued "But if Edward realises what we're doing..."  
"We stop." Alice finished for me.  
I nodded and kissed her lightly, causing Alice to go onto her tippy toes. I knew, that this plan was never going to work, and giving Alice false hope made me regret my decision, but only for a minute. "Okay, lets drive over at about six. If we're lucky, we'll pass Edward, and be able to say goodbye." She smiled and hugged me.  
Unsurprisingly, the others had heard our little plan, and began to gather in our room. Alice already knew the basics of what everyone was going to say, so she had stepped back slightly, head tilted down. "I know you want to see her one last time Alice," Carlisle said, walking towards us from the door, "But it's not fair on Edward, or Bella."  
Of course Carlisle had a point, he always knew what was right, and what was wrong. "But Carlisle, it's my fault that we're leaving so suddenly, can't Alice just..." I stopped there, when I realised how idiotic our plan had been.  
"Don't worry Carlisle," I looked over to Alice sadly, "We're not going to do it."  
Alice looked up, and walked off with Rosalie. The rest of us dispersed, but Carlisle pulled me over, before I left the room. "Jasper," He said, as if talking to a child, "I know that you feel guilty about all these things, but it isn't your fault, no matter how many times you tell yourself it is."  
Carlisle walked away, and I quickly ran back down stairs, to where Emmett was waiting for me.  
"Jaz, I know your-" Emmett began.  
"Save it." I said, opening the passenger door.  
I'd had enough of everyone telling me it wasn't my fault, from Carlisle, I could take it gracefully, but from Emmett...  
"What got you so mad?" He asked, sitting in the driver's seat.  
I ignored the question, and took my seat in the car, closing the door after me. _This is going to be a long drive, _I thought.  
In a few seconds we were out of the garage and travelling steadily on the road, in front of Rosalie and Alice, but behind Carlisle and Esme. "Look, Jaz. I don't want this trip to be awkward, so if you want to talk, go ahead, if not, don't worry, I won't say anything." Emmett said.  
This surprised me the most, "Emmett's being considerate... something has definitely gone wrong." I said trying to lighten the mood.  
"Yeah." He laughed, but I could tell that his offer still stood.  
After being on the road for an hour, my phone began to buzz. Emmett watched me answer it, and looked into his rear view mirror, staring at Rosalie's car. "It's Alice." He said.  
"Hello?" I answered.  
"Jaz, I'm not mad at you." She said.  
"I didn't think you were." I replied, thinking about how she had left the room without a word, maybe she had been mad.  
"Good. We should be there in a day or two."  
"Okay, bye Alice." I said, looking in the side view mirror, watching her.  
"Bye Jasper."  
I put my phone back into my pocket and answered Emmett's stare, "What? I know you heard all of that."  
Emmett just shrugged and kept on driving, I lent my head back and closed my eyes. Sure, there was no point to it, I couldn't sleep, but at this moment, it seemed peaceful.

Chapter 6:  
After two or so days with the Denali Coven, Edward arrived, upset. Since then he's been mostly quiet, staying in his room, and rarely coming out.  
I moved around the living room, ignoring the television that Emmett was watching, Edward had been here for almost a week now. I had noticed Alice searching the future, for Bella I guessed, because her face went blank, and she was motionless. But Edward had noticed too. "Alice." He growled under his voice.  
She stopped, and gave Edward an apologetic look. I hung my arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to me, glaring at Edward. There was no need to be angry at Alice, it was her automatic reaction to search for problems with Bella.  
Tanya entered the room and Edward sighed heavily, he had been trying to avoid her ever since he had gotten here. Tanya's face faltered for only a second, and she was soon walking towards Edward, determination flowing through her. I walked over to the couch Emmett was sharing with Rosalie, and sat down with Alice. Although my eyes remained on the television, I focused on the conversation Edward and Tanya were having.  
"Edward, I-" She began.  
"Don't Tanya. I'm not interested in you, so stop trying." He said, and stormed off into his room.  
This startled me. I turned around, and saw Tanya was surprised too. Edward had never been so rude to anyone, especially Tanya. He had always been nice to her, despite her infatuation with him. "This is not good." Alice whispered to me.  
I looked down to her, and felt the sadness flow through her. "What is it?" I asked.  
Emmett's attention turned away from the television, and he looked at Alice too. "He's leaving." Alice said.  
As if on cue, Edward walked back into the living room with a small suitcase. Carlisle and Esme quickly came into the room and stood opposite Edward. "I'm sorry Carlisle," Edward said, "I just need to have some time by myself."  
I walked up to them, and stood by Esme, Emmett and Alice followed. "I'm going to track Victoria." Edward said, answering a question, that seemed to be thought by Esme.  
_Yeah, but you can't track, _I thought, regretting it as soon as I thought it. "It doesn't matter," he said, looking at me, "I'll find her eventually, or she'll find me."  
No one liked the idea of Edward facing Victoria alone, a wave of distress filled the room.  
"When will you be back?" Alice asked innocently.  
Edward gave her a look of pure appreciation, which confused me. "In a couple of weeks." He answered.  
With a few nods to the rest of us, Edward left. I turned to Alice, and let a flow of contentment settle around the room. Esme leaned onto Carlisle's arm, who embraced her in return. Rosalie had returned to the television, and Emmett turned towards me. "I'm going on a hunt. Are you coming?" He asked.  
The question reminded me of the fiery pain in my throat, that had settled itself, until now. I hadn't hunted in a while, normally I would have, but I rarely see humans anymore, so there was no danger to waiting. "Sure," I said, "Anyone else coming?"  
Emmett waited for a second, shrugged and started walking towards the back door of the house. The house was fairly big, it was up to date with the latest technology, and was two stories high. It wasn't quite as bright and open as our house in Forks, but it was pale brown in colour and held a sense of homeliness to it.  
I walked outside, trailing behind Emmett, with my hands in my jacket pocket. The house was near the Denali National Park and Preserve, and not many humans knew about the house up here, so we had plenty of expanse to hunt.  
We began running off to the east, darting through the forest and ignoring the smaller animals. We stopped awhile in, and began to let my restrictions go. I loosened my muscles and focused on the sound of an animal, only metres ahead, who had not noticed us. I breathed in the rough smell of the animal, I heard the blood rush through its veins, and the next thing I knew, I was pouncing.  
The animal had never had a chance to escape, he had only realised the threat as my teeth reached its throat. I changed its fear to serenity, and felt the bear go limp onto the ground.  
The fiery burn in my throat only numbed as the warm blood rushed through. The bear had been drained in only a few seconds, and I was still hungry. I listened for Emmett, he was somewhere towards the West, probably fighting a bear. I listened more closely and heard another bear, just outside the National Park.  
I began running, leaping over tree trunks and positioning myself for the kill, the burn returned, but only at the prospect for more food. The bear turned quickly as soon as I started running, it was smaller than the one before, but it would quench my thirst nicely. I didn't bother with blocking out the creatures fear, I just landed next to it, and pushed it's ferocious mouth away from my face, and drank deeply.

I returned home later with Emmett, we were both full, and had actually enjoyed ourselves. I hadn't thought that I would have fun here, mostly because of the reason we had returned. Eleazar turned to us first, he seemed to have been in a deep conversation with Carlisle "Did you have fun?" He asked, taking in our appearances.  
We were still reasonably neat, but snow had settled itself on our shoulders, as well as slight scuff marks on our shoes. Emmett smiled sheepishly, and walked into the direction of the room he shared with Rosalie. "It wasn't too bad." I answered in a light smile.  
But then I noticed Carlisle, he was worried about something, but I could tell he wouldn't want to talk about it now. I eyed him carefully, he only nodded back, and I decided to find Alice.  
She was near the front of the house, in a room where we had our computers. She was sitting next to Rosalie, and they seemed to be online, shopping for more clothes. I walked up behind Alice and rested my hand on her left arm. Rosalie turned off the computer, after searching for a few more items, and made her way to her room.  
"Are you happy here?" I asked Alice.  
Of course, I should have known, but Alice's emotions were focused on Edward leaving. "I'm happy wherever I am, as long as I'm with you." She said, standing up.  
I stared into her beautiful golden eyes and kissed her lightly.

Chapter 7:  
Even though Edward was gone, the house was still packed, so I liked to get out as much as I could. It was all a very negative environment, and any free time I had, I spent it outside. I breathed in the fresh air, and felt the reassuring rush through my lungs. Breathing had become a habit, although not needed, it felt good.  
I walked towards the forest just outside the house, my feet squelching against the snow that covered every inch of the ground. I climbed an old tree, which stood twelve metres tall and took a seat on one of the higher branches, and just looked out onto the forest. The wind was rough, and I laid back down onto the branch, watching the sky slowly redden, and eventually darken.  
"Jasper?" Alice said, from down below.  
I looked towards her, and saw her climbing up. I quickly made room on the branch and said "Yes, Alice?"  
She gracefully seated herself next to me, and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Edward's in Toronto now, his tracking isn't going so well." She said, sharing her visions.  
I hugged Alice closer to me and closed my eyes, it felt so serene, but something was missing. Alice felt my unease and tilted her head towards mine. "Did you want to leave?" She asked.  
I considered this carefully, leaving wouldn't really help anyone. "It's fine, I knew you wouldn't want to leave." She said, before I had enough time to answer.  
She began scaling the tree, going from branch to branch, eventually she was at the top. I followed her every movement, in a trance-like state. Alice was truly the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on, and I didn't deserve her at all. As soon as I reached her she jumped out of the tree, and landed softly onto the snow. I smiled from where I sat, on the highest branch up, and watched her run into the house. Alice always knew how to make me happy.  
Sitting out here alone, was pretty much the same as leaving, and I didn't want to do that. I jumped as Alice had done, and slowly walked into the house through the back door. "Laurent and Irina will be here in a day or two." Carmen said to Eleazar, as she put her phone down.  
_Laurent? _I thought. Well at least he had done better than his previous friends. Carmen noticed me at the door and smiled politely "Carlisle needs to talk to you." She said  
I nodded, and walked into a room that was a temporary office for Carlisle. I found him packing some papers, behind his desk. "Jasper," He said, turning towards me, "I'm going with Esme to West Virginia, for awhile."  
This didn't really surprise me, "Okay." I said.  
Carlisle continued packing, so I thought I would leave him alone and began to leave the room. "Jasper, tell Edward where we are when he comes back. I can't seem to come in contact with him." Carlisle said.  
Sadness troubled Carlisle, but I wasn't going to push further. Edward had always been Carlisle's favourite, not that anyone minded, and Edward leaving and ignoring him had obviously hurt him.  
This caused me to think of Bella, how would she feel right now? I know if Alice had left me, I would be distraught.

I was happier now, thoughts of Bella and of what had happened in Forks rested in the back of my mind, and even Alice seemed to have forgotten. We had taken a short trip the mall, even though I didn't enjoy shopping that much, being with Alice was fun. The people who walked past us eyed us curiously, I had been used to it before, but now, since I'd been away from it for weeks, it felt strange.  
Alice was missing Rosalie a bit, who had gone on her monthly trip with Emmett, for a week, which had become a habit since they had finished school this year.  
We walked into a small store, that appealed to Alice, and she walked over to a rack of clothes. The cashier stared at us and began to walk over. "I'll look great in this." Alice said, holding a dress up in front of her.  
I turned around, facing the cashier. She wore a pale blue button up shirt, and a black skirt. "Can I help you?" She asked.  
"We're fine thanks." I said, looking over to Alice, who had picked up another three items.  
"Okay." She said, and walked back over to the cash register.  
"She was going to ask for your number." Alice whispered to me, passing me the clothes.  
I studied Alice's face carefully, she wasn't kidding. I laughed and made my way over to the girl, with Alice's items. "Just these thanks." I said, placing the clothes onto the counter.  
The girl just stared at me for a moment, and then began to work. "That's two hundred and fifty." She said, placing the clothes into a bag.  
I fished out my wallet, and pulled out the exact amount in notes. Normally, we would use cards, but Alice liked to be quick. I noticed her staring at the amount of money in my wallet, and then she quickly took the cash and handed me the receipt. "Come again." She said, quietly.  
I smiled at her, took the bag and walked away back to Alice, who was waiting outside, and had a blank look on her face.  
"Alice?" I said, rushing towards her.  
She blinked a few times, and stared back at me. "It's Bella, she-"  
"Alice," I interrupted, "You know what Edward said about watching Alice." I said, referring to a difficult conversation they had before he left.  
"I know, but..." She said.  
"Is anything wrong?" I asked.  
"She's just sad." Alice answered, taking the bag from my hands.  
Of course Bella would be sad, but Edward was right, and she was safer without us. I hugged Alice, who hid her face in my chest. "It's just so hard to stop watching her, I'm so used to it still." She said, her voice only slightly muffled by my shirt.  
"I know..." I said, although I really had no idea how this worked for Alice.  
She looked back up to me and gave me a brave smile, "Come on, there's still a lot more shops to go in."

Chapter 8:  
Our life at the Denali Coven passed quickly, four months ago, we had left Forks. Most of the time, our existence was uneventful, doing the same thing every day, but it was not boring. The most exciting times were when Edward had decided to grace us with his presence, we had seen him six times since he had left, and he was coming again today.  
"Jasper." Alice said, running towards me.  
She wore a bright smile today, and began to slow down as she got closer to me. "What is it?" I asked.  
"One word... baseball."  
I smiled, it had been ages since we had played baseball. The last time we had played, Bella... My smile faltered slightly as I thought of her, I missed her, even though I had rarely spoken to her. I missed the joy she brought Alice, and the way she brought the whole family together, even though she hadn't realised it.  
Alice must have sensed the route of my thoughts, as she placed her hand on my cheek, and gave me a sympathetic smile. I kissed her on the forehead and said "What time?"  
"About seven or eight." She answered, twirling on the spot.  
Seeing Edward always made Alice happy. Carlisle and Esme had been coming and going since leaving for West Virginia, but they had come back to stay about a week ago. "Did I hear baseball?" Emmet's voice echoed through the house.  
He walked in the room, Rosalie at tow, with a cheesy grin on his face. Alice nodded enthusiastically and skipped back to the computer she had been working at. My eyes followed her, and rested on the window, to the left of her head. The snow, which lay on the ground now, would be no problem to us as it would be for normal humans, in fact, it made the game only slightly more challenging.  
Emmett came up behind me and patted me on the back, "What are the teams then?" He asked.  
I looked over to him, a smile on my face, "How about... Edward decides?" I answered.  
I had a feeling Edward would be slightly out of it tonight, he had been the last few times he had visited. Emmett seemed pleased by this idea and punched me playfully in the arm, "Whatever you say." He said.  
I smiled at him, and walked out the room, making my way towards Carlisle, who, as always when Edward was coming around, was happy. It amazed me how many people Edward could excite just by visiting, even though he was mostly sad when he came over. He didn't at all seem over Bella, and I know it hurts Esme to see him like this, but the last time she tried to say something, it didn't go too well.  
"Edward," Esme had said, "Why don't you go back to Bella?"  
The look on his face was not as bad as his emotions had been. They were everywhere, regret, anger, I struggled to keep him calm. "I didn't come here to have this conversation, Esme." Edward had said, ending the conversation.  
Ever since then we had always been careful about what we said and thought around him, which was extremely hard. It was almost one in the afternoon, and if Alice's vision was right, Edward should be here in an hour.  
I walked into the living room, to see Carlisle reading a book. I walked past him and hesitated to a stop when Carlisle became curious. "What is it?" I asked, turning to Carlisle.  
He closed the book in his hands and said, "So it's set, Baseball tonight?"  
Carlisle may have been the responsible leader of our coven, but he loved a good game of baseball, especially with his family. My smile must have answered it for him, as he asked, "And Edward will be up to it?"  
"That's what Alice says." I replied, turning around again.  
Laurent and Irina entered through the back door, walking close together. As far as I could tell, Laurent had found a mate in Irina, but he didn't have his thirst under control yet. I nodded towards them as they passed, heading towards their bedroom.  
"So Edward will be here tonight?" Laurent asked, as I walked through the door.  
I tried not to focus on the conversation, and began running into the woods. I headed towards a big open plane, that made a great place for a baseball field. The snow floated down onto me and the ground, giving it a coating, covering the whole field. My feet brushed through the snow and made a small trail from the trees to the centre of the field.  
I looked around, the sun was covered by clouds, and the snow seemed to be getting heavier. I wanted to sit somewhere, alone for awhile and I spotted a tall tree, to the left of the field, and began running towards it. As I reached it I began climbing, within seconds, I was on the highest branch, that could take my weight.  
From here I could see everything, the vast expanse of land that was continuously covered in snow, the large house where Alice sat now... and Emmett, running towards me, so much for alone.  
I watched him run to the centre of the field, following my tracks, thankfully most of them were covered by the snow now. I stiffened and made no sound, even though it probably wouldn't do much, Emmett would just follow my scent.  
He walked to the centre of the field and looked around, "Jazz, I know you don't want to be found, but Edward's going to be here a bit later than usual..." He said, his voice slightly louder than normal.  
Emmett ran back to the house, and I relaxed. It would have only been so easy for Emmett to follow my scent, but thankfully, he left me alone. _Why would Edward be late? _I thought, _Unless he's going to visit Bella...  
_No, I couldn't be so optimistic. There was no chance Edward would go to Bella again, he was so stubborn when he thought he was right. I jumped off the tree, landing swiftly on the ground with a small thud. I should stop thinking about those things, if Edward had been there, he wouldn't have been happy.  
I walked back to the house, following Emmett's fading footprints and wondering if I would ever see Bella again.

Chapter 9:  
Edward had seemed unusually happy as he drove his car into the snow covered drive. He got out of the car with a smile on his face, but it didn't have the same brightness it used to have when we were in Forks. Esme greeted him with a hug, and Alice ran up to him too. He did look genuinely happy, his emotions weren't quite on the same level, but they were the happiest he had had since he'd been here.  
Of course Edward heard my thoughts, he nodded towards me, and I subtly nodded back. I looked around to see Laurent and Irina standing over by the front door, talking quietly to each other. "Jasper." Edward said.  
My head flicked back to the call of my name, and I noticed others looking at me, "What?" I said.  
"You're on my team." He said.  
"Who else?" I asked.  
Edward thought for only a moment and said, "Esme and Rose."  
I nodded, Rosalie wasn't very happy about this. "Fine then Rosalie, you can go on Emmett's team." Edward said, strangely calm.  
"Three on our team, four on theirs." Esme clarified.  
"I'll join your team." A voice said.  
All of our heads turned at the same time towards Laurent, who began strolling towards us. Carmen, Eleazar, Irina and Tanya hadn't wanted to play baseball with us, so it was a surprise to hear Laurent's voice in this conversation.  
Edward didn't seem bothered by this and said "Sure."  
I could tell most of us were pleased that Laurent was playing, we would finally have even teams for once, but Alice seemed bothered by it. I studied her carefully, hands behind her back, her eyes averted away from Laurent. She looked up to me, and smiled, her mood brightened. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me.

"Finally, baseball." Emmett said, strolling out into the middle of the field.  
Edward laughed and said "Did you miss losing?"  
Emmett punched Edward in the arm playfully, and everyone immediately became relaxed when they realised Edward was going to be happy, at least for today.  
I made my way to stand next to Edward, and amongst Esme and Laurent. "We bat first." Emmett said, swinging the bat around.  
Esme took her place behind Emmett, Laurent made his way to the pitcher's mound, and Edward and I took our place into the outer fields. Within seconds the game had started, Laurent pitched the ball hard and fast, but Emmett hit the ball easily, sending it flying out towards me.  
I turned around, and ran, my head flicking back every few seconds to judge where the ball was. It was making its way down now, gaining momentum, while Emmett had already reached second base and was trying to make a home run.  
I stretched my hand out in front of me, and clasped my fingers around the ball as it entered my grip. "Out!" Carmen yelled, from behind Esme.  
I heard Emmet swear, and turned around, throwing the ball back to Laurent. Emmett made his way over to Rosalie, disappointment radiating off him. Carlisle picked up the bat Emmett had thrown to the floor and stood in front of Esme, adjusting his grip on it. Laurent pitched the ball again, slightly slower than his last one. Carlisle swung the metal bat, which echoed a loud thunderous sound as the ball collided with it. Carlisle threw the bat on the ground, and started running towards first base. The ball went flying past Edward at shoulder height, and carved its way through the woods. Edward ran, and picked up speed quickly, all was quiet for a moment, until the whizzing sound of the ball filled the field. Esme caught the ball, but was too late to get Carlisle out. "Safe!" Yelled Carmen.  
Edward ran towards me, and stopped a few metres back, preparing for Rosalie's shot. She trudged through the snow, a smug look on her face, and took the bat from Emmett's hands. She stepped over to the base and prepared to swing. Ever since I had started playing baseball with the Cullen's, none of us had ever got a strike, or a foul, so it didn't surprise me that Rosalie sent the ball flying far out into the woods, in my direction.  
I began running, my feet were barely touching the ground as I ran for the ball that was still whizzing through the air. I could sense that Rosalie was at first base, and I could hear Edward yell my name. "Get it Jazz!" Echoed through the forest as I finally reached the ball that sat motionless on top of a pile of snow. I turned around, my arm poised behind me ready to throw. I had ran so far out, that I could no longer see the field through the gaps in the trees. I threw the ball, in the direction I had been running from, and watched it glide through the air.  
I began running back, eager to see what would happen. I approached the outer area of the field and saw that Rose was just about to reach home base when Esme slammed the ball into her arm. "Out!" Carmen yelled.  
Edward turned towards me and smiled, Laurent just stood at the pitcher's mound and awaited Carmen to throw the ball back to him.  
Alice was up now, part of me wanted to go easier on her, but I knew no one would like that. Her petite body picked up the bat and swung it around softly. She stilled, and her face went blank for a moment, and then she grinned. No doubt she had figured where to hit the ball so she would get a home run, but these visions only worked sometimes.  
Laurent caught the ball that Carmen threw to him, obviously he hadn't noticed Alice's slight blank, but I could tell everyone else did. Alice walked over to the base and held the bat above her head, ready to swing. She was poised almost like a cat, the way her back arched.  
Laurent's ball shot through the air and collided with the bat, causing it to go soaring in the opposite direction towards Edward. Alice began running, and Edward followed the ball steadily, never losing sight of it. I just stood and watched, Alice was so fast and yet graceful as so ran from base to base. Within seconds she had reached home, only milliseconds from being out. "Safe." Carmen said, shooting Alice a smile.  
Edward, Laurent and I ran back towards Esme, preparing for our turn to bat. Alice passed me and kissed me on the cheek, on her way to the pitcher's mound. Edward was to bat first, then Esme, Laurent and myself. Carlisle passed Edward the bat, pride practically glowing off him, I guess he had thought Edward would have never been his old self again.  
Once everyone was positioned, Edward took his spot on the base, ready to hit the ball. Alice, elegant and cat-like, who had pitched the ball faster than Laurent had, was already judging where the ball would land. Edward swung the bat, and hit the ball squarely, sending it up high. He didn't watch the ball, and instead began running. Since Edward was the fastest of all of us, he never really got out, but on certain occasions we got him. Emmett's eyes were locked on the ball, his body tensing ever so slightly the closer it got to him, and as soon as he could tell where it was going to land, he ran to catch it. I watched, this would be a close one, it had only been a few seconds, and Edward was almost home, but Emmett had already picked up the ball and thrown it towards Carlisle.  
But it was too late, Edward was safe and Carlisle only got the ball as Carmen called out "Safe."  
Edward's home run was one of the closest one 's we'd had in years, but Edward did not seem as happy as the others. I studied him carefully, trying to figure it out, grateful for the fact that he didn't notice me doing it, or he didn't care.  
Esme picked up the bat, weighing it in her hands. The wind picked up, and snow began falling, Sending Esme's hair flowing away from her face. She walked over to the base and held the bat steadily in her arms, she seemed joyous that Edward had done so well, and when the ball came a sound of thunder cracked from the impact and she began running. I didn't watch the ball all too carefully, instead I kept my eyes on Edward, whose emotions were constantly changing. He was happy, and then regret filled him, but selflessness covered that with a hint of pride, and it went on over and over again. I guessed that he must be thinking of Bella, he was probably thinking he would have liked her to see his home run, but thinking about Bella was not a good thing.  
I turned my mind to other things too late, and Edward noticed, but instead of glaring he sighed and walked off to the edge of the forest, he seemed bothered.  
I turned my head back to see that Esme had gotten out, and Laurent was ready to bat. The snow on the ground thickened, and Laurent seemed slightly nervous, obviously he hadn't played much baseball. Alice's quick ball caught him off guard, but he managed to hit the ball towards Emmett. I didn't have to see the future to know what was going to happen here, Laurent began running, but only reached second base when Emmett caught the ball. "Out!" Carmen yelled.  
Emmett was extremely happy now, all memories of getting out probably gone from his thoughts. Rosalie walked up to him and gave him a victory kiss, and stood beside him, waiting for me to bat. I nodded towards Laurent as he walked back, I know Edward would be happy if we didn't lose, so I had to get this one.  
With our baseball, we never really stayed at the bases, we went full throttle and always tried to get a home run. I picked up my metal bat, and swung it around a few times, _this was going to be too easy_. I planted my feet on the ground in front of Carlisle, facing Alice. My arm swung up behind my head, and waited for the ball. Alice's leg arched up high in the sky and came down as she threw the ball, I swung my bat, the sound the collision made echoed through my ears as I began running.  
I had no idea where the ball had gone, but I guessed it was over near the forest, as I heard Emmett's feet pound on the ground. I ran, faster than I ever had before, passing the bases one by one. With only seconds gone by, Carmen called "Safe!" and Emmett had only just returned from the forest with the ball I had hit.  
But of course, something had to ruin the celebration, "Where's Edward?" Esme asked, looking over to the forest edge where he had been before.  
"Back at the house, he's leaving today." Alice stated, sorrow running through her voice.  
How could Edward do this? I thought, by leaving so quickly, and rarely visiting us, he was making his family sad too, not just himself. And I knew I had to put an end to this, and talk to him now.

Chapter 10:  
While the others packed up our baseball equipment, I made my way to Edward, eager to put an end to Edward's actions. I knew he didn't mean to hurt us, and I knew that he (10,000 words!) must be missing Bella, but I had to set him straight.  
The snow was almost up to my knee's now, and the moisture soaked through my jeans. I looked up, it was still snowing, and I had begun to prepare what I was going to say to Edward in my head. I wasn't going to let him find some loophole through my story which he could convince me he was right. I blanked my mind from all thoughts about Edward, and instead focused on the game we had just had, so Edward wouldn't avoid me when I tried to talk to him.  
I opened the back door, barely registering the creak it made when I opened it wider. I made my way through the living room, and into the small pale hallway that lead to Edwards room, which had hardly been touched since we moved back here.  
Edward must have known I was coming, but he said nothing, so I presumed that he would at least give me a chance to talk, which was all I wanted. He opened the door just as I approached it, and held it open so I could come in. I studied his face carefully; he seemed willing enough to let me talk to him, so I walked inside and stood in the centre of the room. Most of his things were packed, because he had never unpacked them, and his books stood in a disorganised array in the corner. "Edward, you need to know what you're doing to your family." I said, planning my words carefully.  
Edward just shook his head and said, "You think I don't know? You're not the one who has to hear their thoughts every time I get close to them."  
"So why do you leave all the time, why not stay?" I argued, he must have some reason for leaving.  
Edward seemed to have already planned this in his head. "I already have to deal with my own grief, why stay around and hear others, I'm sure they're better off without me anyway."  
This shocked me, he had never really admitted that leaving Bella was hard for him, although we all knew it anyway. _Why doesn't he just go back to Bella then? _I thought, but Edward answered that too. "She's better off without us." He said calmly.  
"Fine then, if she's so much better off without us, stop grieving over leaving her, she's safe!" I yelled, furious at how Edward couldn't seem to understand what he was doing.  
But this seemed to strike a chord, the light in his eyes dimmed, and his body tensed. I had probably gone too far, but I could tell Edward was registering what I was saying now. All was quiet for a moment, until I recognised the other's emotions, they were outside the door, and they were sad, and curious as well, wondering what had brought this on. "I'm leaving tonight." Edward said, picking up his bag.  
"Didn't you listen to a thing Jazz said?" Emmett asked, anger rising in his voice as he walked through the door.  
"Edward doesn't need this." Carlisle said, walking over to Edward's side.  
Carlisle turned to him and said "If you must leave, go. But now you truly do know what we're going through here."  
Emmet was tensed still, and I realised the dispute was over, so I calmed him, and everyone else around me. Edward stared at me, not in an angry way, more like he was trying to understand my actions. He sighed, and said "Thanks Jazz."  
He nodded at Carlisle, and made his way out of the room, towards the driveway. _Don't leave, _I thought, _It will only make things worse. _But Edward ignored my thoughts and walked out the front door. Alice walked over to my side, and hugged her arms around my waist, and leaned her head on my arm, "Thanks for trying." She said.  
I smiled, I guess it was worth it, but Edward was gone again now, and probably wouldn't be around for awhile. I rested my head lightly on Alice's, counting the seconds going by until I couldn't hear Edward's car anymore.  
Remorse filled the house, mostly from the Cullen's, but I could sense Tanya's sadness too, she had probably overheard the whole conversation. I walked back to my room, Alice walking beside me in a slow, unemotional way. I yearned to pick her up, and kiss her, but she wasn't in the mood for it now, so I just walked to the desk that sat opposite our bed.  
My phone, sat next to the computer. Our attempts to ring Edward previously had only worked once or twice, but he hadn't answered the phone in months. We rarely knew where Edward was going either, Alice kept an eye out for it, but he moved so often, not even thinking about where he was going, so it was hard. I picked up the phone anyway, and flipped through the contacts, I could tell Alice hesitated slightly when I passed Bella's home number, but she had agreed to stay away from Bella, until Edward started seeing her again. Alice has this hope that they'll get back together, but Edward was so stuck on his idea that she was better without us, that I knew it would never happen.  
I was about to ring Peter and Charlotte – My old friends – but I stopped as I noticed Alice's face blank, and a look of pure shock cross over her face. She stepped back slightly, her hands around her mouth, as if she were afraid of screaming. Alice just said; "I've lost Bella, her whole future just went blank."

Chapter 11:  
"Of course we can't ring Edward." I said, he would be more interested about the fact that Alice was still watching Bella than the fact that Bella could be dead.  
"I know, but it just all blanked..." She said, sitting at the table, her head leaning on her arms.  
I rubbed her back soothingly, trying to cheer her up. "But you saw her again, didn't you?" I asked, trying to reassure her.  
An hour or so later after Alice's blank, she had seen Bella again, this had never happened before with Alice, so it was really scaring her. "I'll ask Carlisle about it." I said.  
"Maybe that'll help." She mumbled.  
I pulled her over onto my lap, and held her there for a minute, pressing my head into her hair. "It'll be okay."  
Minutes passed, although it felt like hours, out bodies never moved, we just sat there together as one. "What's wrong?" Rosalie asked, passing through the kitchen with Emmett.  
Alice and I had agreed to keep her blanks a secret from them, they would only convince us to go to Bella, and then Edward would be even more furious.  
Alice looked up to them, and hopped off my lap, "I'm going for a hunt, anyone coming?" She asked, changing conversation subtly.  
Rosalie made a face, and Emmett grinned. "Sure, I haven't hunted in a week or so. What about you Rose." He said.  
"I guess, why not." She replied, walking towards Alice.  
"Beat you there." Alice said, and ran off, with Rosalie right behind her.  
"Too bad Edward's not here." Emmett said, walking human-pace towards the door.  
Emmett had been missing Edward more than he was letting on, he got so bored around here, last time we had been here as a family, Emmett was the happiest of us all.  
"I guess." I said, biting back the snide remarks that floated in my head whenever I thought of Edward.  
Emmett turned around and sighed, "You really don't like the guy do you?" He asked, as if I had only met Edward once.  
"I like him sure, it's just the way he is so oblivious about what he's doing." I said, my voice quieting, I didn't dislike Edward, I just wasn't happy with him right now.  
"And you feel that he's making your mistake worse right?" Emmett said.  
He waited a second for my reply, but when I didn't answer, he sighed and ran off after Rosalie. What Emmett had said was right, Edward was just making the mistake I made worse, if I had never tried to harm Bella, none of this would be happening. _Great, _I thought, _here comes the guilt_.  
It flushed through me like a cold wave of water, I stood up, happy that the weight on my shoulders wasn't physical, only emotional, and walked over to Carlisle's study. "Come in." He called, as I reached his door.  
I gripped the handle, and turned it, opening the door slowly. I walked in and stood opposite Carlisle's desk, my hands behind my back. I was just about to say something, but Carlisle spoke first, "We're going to Ithaca," He said, "I got a job offer in Cornell as well. If you're still interested in studying philosophy, I can get you in."  
I smiled at the thought of this, I've been interested in studying at Cornell for awhile now, and hopefully moving would take Alice's mind off Bella, but somehow, I doubted that would happen. "Now, what did you want to tell me?" Carlisle asked, as he moved some papers around on his desk.  
My smile faded, and I planned my words carefully, "Alice is seeing blanks in Bella's future." I stated, watching Carlisle's reaction.  
He seemed neither mad or surprised that Alice had been watching Bella's future, he must have known it wasn't on purpose. "Has this happened before, or with anyone else?"  
I took this into thought, as long as I had known Alice, she had never experienced anything like this, and it scared her. "No, never. One minute Bella's future is clear, and then it's gone, as if Bella doesn't exist, and then just as easily, it comes back."  
Carlisle nodded his head, taking in what I had said. "Should we ring Edward?" I asked, and then instantly regretting saying Edward's name as I saw Carlisle's reaction to it.  
"There's no point, if he did answer his phone, he would just be mad at Alice." He said.  
I nodded in agreement, I didn't think I could control myself against Edward now, if he were to lay a hand on Alice. "Moving should be good for Alice," I said, "When are we leaving?"  
"Tonight." Carlisle answered, and then I noticed most of the objects in the room had been packed into card board boxes.  
Carlisle seemed eager to go back to civilisation, even though I enjoyed it here, I was looking forward to studying at Cornell.  
Carlisle went back to packing, and I took this as my cue to leave, wondering if Alice had known we would be going to Cornell.

Chapter 12:  
Our move over to New York was just as quick and unexpected as our move from Forks. We had arrived there the next day, and settled into a house Carlisle had bought years back.  
The house itself was not as secluded as our home in Forks had been, and it was certainly not as open. There were houses, on either side of our house, but the inhabitants were rarely home, Carlisle said they spent most of their time working.  
We pulled up onto the concrete drive in our cars, Emmett and Rosalie had started to realise something was wrong with Alice, and had begun to keep careful eyes on her. But Alice had done awfully well hiding it, excusing herself from the room when it bothered her too much, and trying to cover it up with something else.  
Edward and Esme were the only one's oblivious to Alice's actions, as we had not seen Edward since the baseball scene, and Carlisle hadn't wanted to worry Esme.  
I got out of the car quickly and held the door open for Alice. Emmett did the same for Rosalie, who had been planning her honey moon the whole trip over. I had heard them talking about it earlier, they still had yet to ask Carlisle if they could go, but Carlisle would never deny them another honey moon.  
Alice stepped out of the car quickly, flashing me one of her smiles. I smiled back and closed the door, watching Rose and Emmet approach Carlisle, who stood at the entrance of the house. "We'd like to go on another honey moon." Rosalie announced.  
I looked over in time to see Carlisle look carefully over their faces. "Where would you like to go this time?" He asked, already taking his wallet out.  
"We were thinking of Europe." Emmett said, smiling as he placed his arm around Rosalie's shoulder.  
Alice's small, insistent cough interrupted me and I turned to her. She stood by the boot of the car, surrounded by our luggage, which now lay on the drive way. "I'll help you with those." I said, walking towards her.  
Emmett and Rosalie had come running back over to the car, obviously not caring that our neighbours could be watching, and picked up their stuff. "We're leaving tonight." Emmett announced, as I noticed three new credit cards, in Rosalie's pale hand.  
"Have fun." I muttered, and picked up the rest of our stuff.  
Alice had already began walking towards the house when she had another blank. She dropped her suitcases, shocked, even though she'd experienced so many times. I gathered, that to Alice, someone's future going blank was like watching someone die, and that someone happened to be her best friend, and it was happening over and over again.  
Emmett and Rosalie hadn't noticed, but Carlisle was staring worriedly at her. I quickly made my way over to her, and held her shoulders, the only thing I could do now was wait until she had calmed down.  
It took her a few seconds, but she finally came back to herself, she even seemed to have forgotten it happened, "What is it?" She asked.  
I studied her carefully, and shrugged. She picked up her suitcases again and made her way inside, just behind Rosalie and Emmett. I walked over to Carlisle, with the suitcases in hand, and stopped in front of him, "Did she forget that happened?" I asked.  
Carlisle took a moment to think, "They're happening so regularly, she's probably used to it by now. I've noticed that it's been bothering her less."  
Carlisle shrugged himself, and helped me with the suitcases. We walked inside, it was wide and open, and didn't at all look like we had just moved in here, in fact, it looked like we'd lived here for years.  
I made my way to mine and Alice's room, to see her waiting by our cupboard. "What is it?" I asked, placing the luggage on the floor.  
"It's so... tiny." She said a crease forming in her perfect forehead.  
I walked over to her, and looked inside the cupboard, which was as big as your average bedroom, but obviously not big enough for Alice. "It's fine."I said with a smile.

Esme had taken off nearly as soon as we arrived here, she had a seventeenth century historical monument north of the city to fix up. Carlisle was set to start his job in Ithaca tonight, and I was going to start my night classes at Cornell tomorrow.  
Alice was reading books, based around her life before her change in Mississippi, and had been uncovering newspaper articles from the 1900's.  
She didn't appear bothered at times, but I could tell it hurt her, to think that her parents would have put in her in a mental asylum.  
"Bye Jazz." Emmett said, waving animatedly from across the room.  
Rosalie smiled and said "See you later guys."  
I turned around, and watched them walk out of the house to go to their honey moon. "Oh." Alice said, surprised.  
I quickly looked to her, sitting on the floor in front of a pile of books. "What did you find?" I asked, moving over to her.  
She shook her head and placed the book she held in her hands, on top of the large pile behind her. "Peter and Charlotte are coming... tonight." She said.  
Peter and Charlotte? I thought, I'd seen them last in Forks, they had been visiting the first time Edward began protecting Bella. Just as I was about to say something, my phone rang.  
I pulled it out of my pocket, already knowing who was calling, "Peter." I answered, holding the phone to my face.  
"Jasper, you don't mind if we meet up do you?" He asked.  
"No, it's okay. Tonight, right?" I said, knowing Carlisle wouldn't mind.  
Peter just laughed and said "I should have known it wouldn't have been much of a surprise. Okay we'll see you then."  
"Bye." I said, and hung up.  
Alice's eyes remained on my face, she seemed to be studying me carefully. I smiled at her, and walked back to our room, leaving Alice to herself.  
Peter and Charlotte had only been to this house once, quite a few years back, but I was sure they could find it. I couldn't wait for them to come, Peter seemed anxious to talk, so he obviously had something to tell me.

Chapter 13:  
"They'll be here soon." Alice said, standing on her toes.  
I looked over to her, she had cheered up considerably in the last couple of hours, and I hadn't needed to help her once. She wandered back over to the pile of books that still lay on the floor, where she had left them. I watched her quietly, leaning against the wall, and waiting impatiently for Peter and Charlotte to come.  
Alice picked up the piles of books, balancing them carefully in her arms, and took them to the small library in our house. I lay back against the wall, closing my eyes, trying to hear Peter and Charlotte approaching, but they must still be too far away. Instead, I focused my hearing onto the neighbours house, they seemed to be having an argument over something.  
A small amount of pressure was put on my arm, I opened my eyes and quickly looked over, it was Alice. "It's okay Jasper, they'll be here any minute now. What does Peter want to talk to you about anyway, I can't see it." She said, frowning slightly.  
I caressed her arm, looking down onto her "I don't know, but I can tell it's important." I said, pulling her closer to me.  
She hugged me, and I closed my eyes again, just focusing on the faint sound of a car, travelling up one of the nearby streets. Alice lay her hands on my chest and looked up to me, "I'm just going upstairs, I'll be back in a minute."  
She smiled, and ran off. I watched after her, wondering what she could be doing up there, and then my attention turned to the back door, where Peter and Charlotte were standing.  
Peter shot me a smile and Charlotte did the same. I walked over to them, "Where's your car?" I asked.  
"Car? We don't have one with us." Charlotte said, sounding slightly confused.  
Oh, I thought, I must have heard a different car. "Where is everyone?" Peter asked, looking around the house.  
I was just about to talk when Alice came running down the stairs, "Carlisle's at work, Esme's fixing a house, and Em and Rose are on another honeymoon." Alice said.  
Leaving out Edward's whereabouts triggered something in Peter, who looked over to me. "That reminds me," He said, "I need to talk to you."  
I nodded at him, and shot a glance at Charlotte, who was talking to Alice now, ignoring us. "Come with me." I said to Peter, and made my way over to Carlisle's study.  
I could tell by Peter's tone that whatever he had to say was something serious. I stood in the centre of the room, and crossed my arms, watching Peter carefully. "You know how I hear a few things?" Peter asked.  
Of course I knew, I had relied on Peter for the last couple of years to give me updates on Maria, the vampire who had changed us both. "Yes..." I said, eager for him to get to the point.  
Peter studied me carefully; I probably seemed a bit too anxious to get the news, "You and your family killed James, didn't you?" He asked.  
It hadn't exactly been a secret, but I had neglected to tell Peter about it. I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "His mate Victoria, is looking for revenge, she's been around Forks a bit."  
I tensed as he mentioned Forks, my mind thinking straight away of Bella, but I made myself relax, "We were expecting Victoria to look for revenge." I clarified.  
Peter looked up to me, surprised, "So you know that-" He began, but I interrupted him.  
"That she'll probably go for Edward, yes we know that."  
Peter began to shake his head, "No, not at all. My sources say that Victoria wants to get revenge, a mate for a mate." He said.  
Alice entered the room at that moment, standing behind Peter, looking confused. "Your sources must be wrong," I said, walking over to him "There would be no point killing Bella; she has no ties to Edward anymore."  
Peter understood this, and just shrugged "I guess."  
He turned around to see Alice and Charlotte standing behind him, "We need to go," Charlotte said, "We have other plans to attend to."  
Everyone seemed a bit tense in the room, so I relaxed everyone as I said "Sure, drop by anytime you want."  
The vibe of the room became positive and I smiled. "See you, Jasper, Alice." Peter said, waving his hand in the air.  
They made their way out through the back door, and began running. Normally I would have been more welcoming to Peter, but I sensed he wasn't going to tell me everything today, and that was all I was waiting for.  
Alice approached me and kissed me lightly, "He'll be back later, don't worry, you didn't scare him off."  
I smiled and kissed her back. We headed over towards the sofa, and sat down in front of the television, flicking through it, until Alice stopped on a news channel. "In the small town of Forks, Washington, hikers have been reported missing, and are presumed dead. Reports say that bear attacks are the likely cause of the missing hikers."  
"Bella." Alice said.

Chapter 14:  
Alice, had been worrying nonstop about Bella ever since she had watched the news. I had tried telling her that Bella would never go into the woods, but Alice seemed so sure that Bella would.  
I had convinced Alice to relax just before Esme returned home from fixing the house.  
"Hey Esme." I said, as she walked through the front door.  
She smiled, and a sense of familial love whirled up into her, "Hello Jasper, did I miss anything interesting today?" She inquired, taking her coat off and hanging it on the hook.  
At first I was worried that Esme could have picked something up, or noticed Alice's behaviour, but she was purely curious, and not at all suspicious, "Peter and Charlotte came round for a bit." I answered back, staring at the television.  
It took Esme a minute to reply, and when she did she was standing in front of me, "I thought I smelt them. Now, have you got your books ready for university?"  
I smiled, Esme was the perfect mother anyone could ever ask for. "I'm set to pick them up tomorrow." I answered, turning the television off.  
She smiled and began talking to Alice. I tuned them out and walked outside, eager for a minute by myself. It would only be a few more hours until the sun came up, and the neighbours appeared to be asleep, so I walked out onto the street, and began walking in a random direction, this gave me time to think.  
If Alice was going to overreact every time she heard something that had a small chance to put Bella in danger, we were not going to live a normal life. Bella would be safe, there is no way she would walk out into the woods, especially if she knew about the bears, which I bet she did.  
My footsteps echoed on the empty street, and my body cast a long shadow from the street light over the ground. Then suddenly, a theory came to mind. I stopped, those bear attacks sounded strangely like a string of Vampire attacks, although I couldn't explain why they would blame bears on them.  
I began thinking harder, what if Victoria was hunting down Bella? But she would have killed her by now, Bella has no protection, and Victoria would have realised we didn't live there anymore.  
My thoughts went back to Laurent, who had left Denali a few weeks before we had, he was struggling with the diet more than I was.  
Laurent would never go back to Victoria, I thought, unless...  
I stopped my thoughts in their tracks and blanked my mind. If I kept thinking of Bella, I'd end up like Alice, afraid for her life. Besides, I hadn't even known her that well, she was clumsy, and fairly pretty, I hadn't really understood what Edward had seen in her, until I smelt her scent...  
The fiery burn it had sent through my throat, the way it had drawn Edward in, and the blood that had flown so freely through her veins.  
And then, I turned around and ran back home. I turned my mind to other things, like the fact that Alice needed me right now, and I had left her.  
By the time I returned, the sun was only minutes from rising and Carlisle was home. I opened the door quietly, and closed it, stepping into the living room. Alice seemed to be in her room, organising our clothes, Carlisle was in his office and Esme...  
"What's wrong?" She asked, suspicious now.  
I turned around to see her with her arms crossed, and a slightly stern look to her face. I felt like a child, who was about to be told off for doing something wrong.  
I knew Esme hadn't guessed what was wrong, but I could tell she had the facts piling up. "I thought everything was fine... but it isn't, is it?"  
I could tell, just by looking at her eyes, that she was desperate for the truth. I heard Carlisle stop writing, obviously listening in to what I was about to say. "Alice is just worried about Bella." I said, only half lying.  
Esme's brow creased and she eventually smiled at me, "Thank you, for telling me Jasper." She said, laying a hand on my shoulder.  
I smiled back, but only slightly, feeling the guilt seep through me. She walked off in the direction of Alice's room, and I made my way to Carlisle's study. "You did the right thing." He said, as soon as I walked through the room.  
But no matter what he said, I still remained guilty. He looked up from his work and smiled slightly at me, I could tell he missed Edward more than he was letting on. "Alice's blanks... well they're slowing, and she's not remembering them. It's better if Esme doesn't know." He said.  
To me, this was something I had never thought Carlisle would support, lying to Esme, even if it was just to comfort her. And then I realised, that was what I had been doing to Alice, I knew, deep down inside of me that Bella would go into the woods, Bella was a danger magnet – as Edward had said – and it would be just her luck to be caught out in the forest.  
I just stood in Carlisle's office, for another minute, trying to figure out everything else. I ran a hand through my hair – a habit I had yet to break – and turned around, and headed out to my room.  
I reached there in time to hear the end of Esme's conversation with Alice, "I miss her too," She said, "But Bella is better off without us."  
Alice agreed with her, and I walked into the room. It seemed like everyone was lying to comfort each other, and it seemed to me, that everyone knew they were lies.

Chapter 15:  
Philosophy at Cornell was exactly as I had expected, sitting through lectures amongst other people. I had forgotten how hard it was to contain the thirst, the first day at Cornell, I almost had to walk straight out, but luckily I'd managed to stick through it without killing anyone.  
I walked into the large lecture room, and took my seat up the back, usually I was far away from anyone, but on occasion a girl would sit next to me. I lay my books down and just sat there for a moment, not bothering to get out my notes – not that I had taken any previously.  
I turned to my left, watching the rest of the people walk in with glum looks on their faces. One girl hesitated at the door and looked around the room. She was fairly small, with strawberry blonde hair, and seemed very overwhelmed by the whole amount of seats taken up. She caught me staring, and made her way over to me, I quickly focused on the lecturer who had just entered the class.  
She sat next to me, and took out her notepad, gently resting her pen on it, her scent flowed through the air, not the most tempting, but enough to kill her, if I slipped. The lecturer started and I listened intently, shutting off my breathing. I had to get used to people again, I thought to myself. The lecturer continued talking for another ten minutes, then walked off to get a projector, and the girl took this time to introduce herself, "I'm Lucy Harrison." She said, directing herself towards me.  
I looked over to her, sensing her slight shyness, "I'm Jasper." I said, and turned back facing the front, hoping for the conversation to be over, so I could go back to controlling my thirst.  
"Jasper, that's an odd name," She said, "No offense though."  
She began drawing pictures on her notes, she seemed to be plucking up the courage to say something else. "So, you're new here?" She said.  
I suppressed a sigh and continued facing forward, "Yes."  
I decided that showing no interest should convince her to stop talking, but she didn't. "I didn't catch your last name, what was it?"  
"Hale." I said, thankful that the lecturer had returned with the projector.  
"Now, I suggest you all take notes on this." He said, flipping through slides.  
The whole room began writing animatedly across their pages, I stayed still, just watching the slides carefully, taking it all in. "Why aren't you taking notes?" She asked, looking over to me.  
But before I could answer she said, "Oh, you're one of those people with photographic memories, that's cool."  
I sighed this time, ignoring her miniscule flinch. "I guess you could say so." I said.  
After that she didn't talk much, which I was happy about. The lecture finished an hour later, and I rushed out quickly, ignoring the staring eyes.  
I walked over to my car, throwing my books in the passenger seat and turned around to see Lucy heading this way. I tried my best to ignore her, but she tripped over and fell on the floor. I sighed and helped her up, to notice that her elbows had been grazed, and they began bleeding.  
"Oh crap, I'm such a klutz, thanks Jasper." She said, staring at her elbows.  
But it was too late, the burn was already ripping through my throat, all rational thoughts depleting. She stepped back slightly, staring at me. She was scared, terrified. I could almost picture myself, my glare, the way my body tensed, and my jaw closed tight.  
It took all my will power, to turn around and get into my car. I slammed the door, and reversed quickly, eager to leave. I saw the look of disapproval cover her face, but I ignored it, speeding to get home.  
I flew through the front door of my home and breathed in, trying to get rid of the memory of the scent. Alice walked to me, and made her way to my side, wrapping an arm around my waist. "You would have never hurt her." She reassured me.  
I breathed in her angelic scent, and held her closer to me, regaining my self control. "You should probably hunt before tomorrow." She warned me, raising her head to look me in the eyes.  
I smiled back and kissed her, happy for her support.  
She walked back to a new pile of books she had set on the floor, "You will sit with her tomorrow though." Alice said, picking up a new book.  
I began to ask why, but Alice was already answering "Because you don't want her to think that you've freaked over a little blood, and that you're bipolar, do you?"  
I smiled, she had a point there, if someone heard about it, and managed to put the facts together, we'd have to move again.  
I took another deep breath, and felt the air being inhaled uselessly, into my lungs. I figured that every breath I took, cleared my head more and more.  
Alice began packing up her books, "I'm going to Minnesota." She said, moving them into another pile.  
"What's in Minnesota?" I asked, startled by the sudden news.  
"It's where I was when I was changed, I just need to look more closely at the local newspapers," She said, "Oh, and don't worry I won't be gone long."  
By that I understood that this was something that Alice wanted to do by herself, and I would stand by, if she ever needed me.  
~~*~~*~~

The hunt had done me well, I had no problem controlling myself around the humans. I walked into the lecture room scanning the room for Lucy, part of me hoped I'd scared her off.  
I turned around, only to find her sitting exactly where she had sat yesterday. I began walking in that direction, deciding that if I sat close enough to her, she'd forget everything that had happened the other day.  
She smiled as she saw me walking towards her, she was happy, but also slightly nervous. I sat down one seat away from her, and decided to help her relax. She leaned back, all nervousness edging away from her, I smiled, happy that I had made use of my powers.  
The back row was virtually empty apart from us two, and I could tell she wanted to move closer to me.  
The lecturer began again, and I focused on him carefully, taking a few notes, hoping not to start another conversation with Lucy. It's not that I didn't like her, I just felt I should stay more to myself.  
"What did he just say, I missed it." She said, moving over to the chair next to me and peering at my notes.  
I closed my eyes and suppressed another sigh, and turned my notes so they would face her. She quickly jotted down my notes and said a "Thank you." And began listening again.  
I could tell, just by looking at her, that she wanted to talk more, but she held back all her questions. The lecturer quieted, and I decided to fix the mistakes I made the other day. "I'm sorry about yesterday." I said, turning towards her.  
Immediate happiness rushed through her, and she said, "That's okay; I can tell you don't like the sight of blood."  
I looked down at my notes again and thought, _If only you knew... _But I played along and said "Really, was it that obvious?"  
Our conversation only grew slightly from there; I didn't want to get too close to any human now, or ever again really.  
When our lecture finished, she stayed behind to talk, and I used this time to get back to my car, happy with how things went, and glad that I didn't have to sit next to her again. I frowned at this, I had gained her trust, and now I was going to purposely lose it, but that's what I've always done.

Chapter 16:  
Since Alice had left, I was usually home alone. Carlisle and Esme were always busy working, which was good because it gave me time to think. Rosalie and Emmet were due to be back from Europe in a week, and Alice should be back within the next couple of days.  
I worried for her, sure she could probably defend herself against anything, but I yearned to be by her side every second. Her blanks had almost stopped, but I think it was just because she'd stopped watching Bella as much as she had before.  
I was going through Carlisle's books on Philosophy, eager to do something, anything, to take my mind off Alice, and what might happen to her. But the books only held senseless words to me, my mind was wandering, and I couldn't concentrate.  
I placed the book back on the bookshelf, and made my way into the living room. It was almost eerie how quiet it was, I must be still used to our house in Forks. The constant music, coming from Edward's bedroom, or the piano he had played so often. The sounds of Emmett's booming laugh, that had filled the house so frequently, or the silent drone of the cars that Rosalie worked on.  
I hovered near the television, contemplating if there would be anything worth watching, there usually wasn't. So instead, I sat at a grand, white piano that Edward had bought years back.  
I was nowhere near as good as Edward was, but I began playing around with the keys. My musical talent was next to none, but the keys that held soft pressure against my fingertips were somewhat comforting. I explored it, figuring out a tune in my head, and wondering how Edward could actually write music, but of course, that did seem to be his talent.  
After a few minutes, I stopped playing, and sat there, staring at the piano, with lack of something better to do. The small creak of the door startled me, and I stood up quickly, to see Edward standing there, watching me intently. A sense of surprise washed through him, but it quickly disappeared.  
He walked in slowly, and I studied him carefully. His hair was messier than it usually was, his clothes looked worn and wrinkled, and he seemed... empty. My observance of him, seemed to spark a slight smile onto his face, if Alice had been here, he would be in new clothes by now.  
I laughed silently to myself, and waited for Edward to speak first. "I never knew you played." He said, walking closer to me.  
I stared at the piano for a second, and replied "I don't."  
Edward seemed amused by my answer, but also slightly irritated by my dismissive reply, obviously we were still annoyed at each other. "Why are you here?" I asked, crossing my arms.  
"I need to talk to Carlisle, but I see he's at work," He answered, looking around the room "Where are the others?"  
The answer ran through my mind immediately, and Edward picked it up quickly. "Don't worry, Alice will be fine." He said, and sat down at the piano, resting his fingers on the keys.  
I hesitated for a moment by his side, wondering if I should inquire more about his staying, but I decided against it, and went into my room, and sat on my bed. The precarious atmosphere that had surrounded the living room, had unsettled me, and convinced me to leave him alone.  
All was silent for another minute, I could sense Edward's hesitation at playing, but I had no thought of easing it. Eventually, he began playing, but it was darker than it had ever been. The music was depressing and sad, I was glad Esme was not here to experience this. The collaboration of keys created an unnerving melody that embedded itself into my head. Edward stopped playing, as quickly as he had started, leaving a caliginous tune, fading on the piano. I contemplated walking downstairs again, when Edward walked through my door. "I'm leaving; I'll be back another time." He stated.  
_That soon? You've been here less than five minutes, _I thought. Edward grimaced and said, "There is no reason for me to stay here."  
I bit back my arguments, and blocked them from my thoughts, wanting to have one conversation that didn't end in a fight. "Where are you going?" I asked.  
" South America, probably." He said.  
And then he left, walking out the room without a word, and I had a bad feeling, that Edward could and would be worse than this in a month. I looked out the window, to see him drive off quickly and walked downstairs when he was out of sight.

I sat down the front for the philosophy lecture, hoping to avoid Lucy at all costs. Edward's melody still played through my head, as if he were playing it right now. I scribbled notes down on my page, just for something to do as the lecturer spoke. A brief but strong feeling of hesitation caught my attention, as I turned around to see Lucy, up the back, half out of her chair. She was obviously deciding whether she should come and join me. She caught me staring, and I quickly looked away, hoping not to draw her over.  
The lecturer continued talking, and I lay back in my chair, relaxing slightly. I understood most of what he was saying; most of this wasn't new to me. I decided to tune him out for a minute, and focus on some of the emotions swirling around the room. Most of them were the same, nothing particularly interesting. "Now, the exam will be in a week." The lecturer said, making me focus back to what he was saying.  
The class murmured a bit, and a sense of restlessness covered the class, obviously they hadn't been studying. The lecturer continued talking, indicating points in books that would be good to study, and the students wrote across their papers as if their lives depended on it, which, they probably did.  
The lecturer began packing up, and the people started walking out the door. I took my time, slowly getting up from my chair, and waiting patiently behind the small line that had formed, all so I wouldn't have to talk to Lucy again.  
As I reached the door, I saw that she was still at her seat, tapping her forehead, she was frustrated. I sighed and made my way over to her, and looked over her paper, she hadn't managed to write all the notes down in time. She looked up to me, first of all shocked, and then a slight trace of anger crossed her, I knew I deserved it though.  
She looked at me hopefully, almost expectantly and I suppressed a sigh, telling her what pages she needed to study from memory. "Thanks." She said, and stood up, holding her books in her hands.  
"No problem." I said, and walked away.  
As I reached the door, I heard her running over to me. She hesitated for a second, and I turned to look at her, "Is... is that a wedding ring?" She asked, pointing towards the ring that was on my left hand.  
I looked at it carefully, she was right. I hadn't worn it much at Forks, so not to raise suspicion but I had forgotten about it here. "Yeah, it is." I said, walking again.  
She blushed a rosy pink and walked ahead of me, and off to her car. I could tell that she wouldn't be speaking to me again anytime soon, so I smiled and walked back to my car.

Chapter 17:  
"We're home!" Emmett yelled, closing the car door.  
Alice ran out first, a wide smile spread across her face, she had been happier since coming back from Mississippi. Rosalie stepped out of the car next, tossing her golden hair behind her shoulders and making her way inside.  
I smiled, and stood at the front door, happy that Emmett was finally back. He hugged Alice quickly, and they both made their way towards me, I could still sense some kind of regret from Emmett. I wasn't surprised really, it was obviously over Bella, and she had practically been his little sister, leaving her must still be on his mind.  
"Miss me?" He asked, laughing slightly.  
"You wish." I said, smiling.  
He nudged me playfully and walked inside, leaving me alone with Alice. I took her hand, and pulled her closer to me, hugging her lightly. She stepped back quickly, and went inside after Emmett.  
"How's College?" Emmett asked, as he picked up one of my philosophy books.  
I walked inside as he flipped through it, laughing at some things. I ran up to him, and stole the book out of his hands, and chucked it back onto the table. "It's fine." I said.  
Rosalie chuckled and wrapped an arm around Emmett's waist. "Still with the short replies?" Emmett said, raising an eyebrow.  
I punched him playfully, trying to cover the fact that he could read me so easily. Of course he punched me back, a bit harder than I had hit him. So I pulled my fist back, and thrashed back at him, in only a second we were in a fight. Nothing too serious, just a brotherly fight, but Esme still felt the need to break it up. "Stop." She yelled, crossing her arms.  
"You never let us have any fun." Emmett complained, moving away from me.  
Esme just smiled, she had taken a few days off from fixing the monument, after hearing about Edward's arrival. That had not gone down well, my idea of hiding his arrival didn't work, Alice had already known, and Esme had recognised his scent the minute she stepped into the house.  
"You'll get over it." Rosalie said.  
Emmett rolled his eyes, and looked back to me. I could tell what he meant, as soon as Esme was gone, we'd finish the fight. Alice laughed, and I turned to her, curious, "Who's going to win?" I asked.  
She smiled a devilish smile and pranced over to me, "Not telling."  
"Not even a little clue?" I pleaded.  
She smiled again, staring straight into my eyes. Then she left, heading into the computer room with Rosalie. I turned back to Emmett and shrugged. I sat down with my philosophy book, and flipped through the pages, making sure I had covered everything for the exam, which was only a few hours away. Emmett, sat down, and turned on the television, flicking onto a sports channel, and watching it intently.  
I could tell Emmett had something he wanted to say, I didn't bother easing him though, I'd just wait for him to be ready. So I continued, skimming the pages and occasionally looking back at the television screen. This was going to be a long day.

My feet hit the ground at an even pace; the water flicked up at my jeans, and fell heavily from above. The exam room was only a couple of hundred metres away, but I was only a few minutes away from being late, so I hurried down the path.  
The sun was hidden behind a large expanse of clouds, which lay darkly across the sky like a blanket. I reached the door and walked through quickly, behind a few people. I took my seat at the front, keeping a careful eye out for Lucy, just in case.  
After only a few minutes, the exam supervisor had gone round and passed out all the exam papers. I could sense the nervousness surrounding the room, and relaxed it quickly. I flipped through my exam quickly, it was easier than I had expected, the three hour time we had been given was too long, well at least for me it was.  
I decided to take my time, not drawing attention would be good, so I slowly wrote my answers down. The scratching of pens that scrawled across the paper, became more rushed as the three hours neared its end.  
I passed my paper up as soon as I could, and walked swiftly out of the room, noticing Lucy, in the back, struggling. Part of me wanted to stop, and to help her, but I know I'd just make it worse, so I left without another glance.  
Alice was there waiting for me, smiling so peacefully. She hopped out of the car and kissed me lightly on the cheek, "You passed, you got ninety eight percent." She said, frowning when saying the last bit.  
"I know I should have gotten less, but I couldn't help myself, it was too easy." Alice smiled, and took my hand, leading me back to the car.  
"You drive." She said, and threw me the keys.  
I caught them in midair, and got into the car after Alice. Inserting the key into the ignition, I saw Lucy run out from the exam building, and make her way towards me. Alice rested a hand on my arm, and said "Wait."  
I relaxed, and looked forwards, ignoring both Alice's and Lucy's stares. She walked up to the car, and patiently knocked on the window. I unwound it, and smiled at her, soothing her unease. "Hey Jasper," She said, smiling, she nodded kindly towards Alice and said "I just wanted to say goodbye... my parents, and I, we're moving."  
Alice nudged me, trying to get me to say something. "Well... I'm sorry you have to leave, it was nice meeting you." I said.  
She smiled, and was instantly filled with happiness. "It was nice meeting you too Jasper, and your wife." She said.  
And then she stepped back from the car waving, and walked away. I looked back to Alice, "That's the best you could think of?" She teased.  
"It's the only thing I could think of." I said, and started the car.

Chapter 18:  
I hadn't had a chance to finish the fight with Emmet yet, and I was itching to do something fun, but Esme was still thoroughly against it. I sat down on the couch with Alice, Emmett and Rosalie, talking about their honey moon, and strictly not mentioning Edward.  
They hadn't hunted that often, and were eager for the weekend hunt, that Carlisle had planned. So was I, I hadn't hunted in about a week, not since the problem with Lucy. We were set to leave in a couple of hours, but Carlisle still hadn't returned home from work.  
"Let's leave now, Carlisle can catch up later." Emmett complained.  
Esme shot him a look, and I said "He won't be that long, stop being so impatient."  
Emmett relaxed back against the chair once again and Alice straightened up, "Any second now." She murmured, yet it was loud enough for all of us to hear.  
Rosalie and Emmett stood up quickly and made their way to our garage, most likely to begin packing our stuff, and Esme walked towards the door. Alice and I stayed seated, until we heard the silent hum from Carlisle's car. She skipped over to Esme and opened the door only a second before Carlisle reached it. "Ready?" He asked.  
"Of course," Esme said, walking beside him as he made his way towards me.  
I stood up quickly, and felt Alice dash to my side, "We're going to be gone a bit longer than I planned," Carlisle explained talking to all three of us, "You might need to pack more."  
As soon as the words were out of his lips, Alice grinned and pulled me upstairs to our bedroom. She had wanted to pack more, but I had cut down the amount of clothes she was taking. "What do you want to wear?" She asked, walking into her cupboard.  
I knew there was no need to answer, she'd pick out anything I wanted, so I sat down on the bed and watched her silently.  
She froze, quickly and suddenly, dropping the clothes she had in hand on the floor. She gasped, her eyes wide open and staring at nothing. I ran to her side, whatever she had seen, could not have been good. My hand held hers tightly, until her icy gaze turned on to my face. "Bella," She said.  
"What is it Alice?" I asked, hoping she'd give me more information.  
But she just shook her head, and fell into my arms. I held her tightly soothing her as best as I could, but she was in so much despair, it was difficult. Within a minute, she looked up gazing into my eyes and said, "She jumped..."  
_Bella, jumped? _I thought. I was about to ask more but Alice answered it for me, "She jumped, off a cliff." She looked away.  
"Is she alive?" I asked, still holding Alice.  
"Her futures blank." She said, and I stepped back.  
_Gone, _I thought, _She's really gone and... killed herself. _Alice looked back into my eyes, "What should we do?" She asked, holding onto my shirt.  
But words escaped me, I had no idea what we could do. If we left now, to Forks, we'd be too late, and Alice knew that. And then it hit me. It was my fault, if I had never lost control, we would have not left, and Bella wouldn't have killed herself.  
My face fell and Alice picked up the clothes she was holding before. Watching her walk out the door shot plans right through my head, we could tell Edward, or we could all go there, we could try and ring Bella before she jumped, but then she'd be too stubborn to answer.  
I shook my head and followed Alice out of the room, hoping she'd have a plan of what to tell the others.  
Alice threw our stuff into the boot of the car, ignoring Emmett's careful gaze, and Rosalie's words. "What is it Alice?" She had asked, but the look on our faces seemed to shut her up.  
I gave Alice a questioning look, as she turned back towards me. _She's in denial, _I thought, as she continued calmly, walking over to where Rosalie stood. Emmett looked over to me, and said "We better leave now."  
I nodded, and made my way back towards the house. I couldn't shake the thoughts that were running through my head, I had been the cause of Bella's death, of Bella taking her own life. And I had thought things could go back to normal.  
Just as I reached the door Carlisle and Esme walked out, happily talking until they saw my face. Esme regarded me carefully, and Carlisle looked around for the others. "What is it Jasper?" Esme asked.  
I shook my head, knowing that this was not the right time for them to hear the news. "I was just coming to see if you were ready." I said, at least some of it was true.  
I could tell they didn't believe me at all, but they held off their interrogations, "We're ready." Carlisle said, not as light hearted as usual.  
As we walked back, more ideas ran through my head. I had to do something, I had been the cause of it all, I should do something. We headed into the garage, and straight away I sensed more sadness than before. I looked around the room, Emmett still seemed eager to go on the hunt, Alice was still sad, and Rosalie shot me an apologetic glare. Alice had told her, but not Emmett, but why Rosalie? I thought.  
We packed Emmett's jeep and Edward's Volvo, which he had left here earlier, with all our luggage. Alice shot me a look, I could tell why, I still wasn't sure what I was going to do. I smiled slightly back at her, but I knew it did no good. Esme, Rosalie and Alice got into the Volvo, and Carlisle went into the jeep.  
"Come on Jazz." Emmett said, walking past me, and getting into the driver's seat.  
I looked from him, to the counter where the Mercedes key lay, still wondering if I should do something. Emmet sensed my hesitation and stared confusingly back at me. "Jazz?" He said.  
I snatched the keys from the counter, and walked swiftly passed the Volvo to the Mercedes. I heard Alice's small whisper, "Thank you," as I got into the car, and reversed quickly out of the garage, still wondering if I was doing the right thing.

Chapter 19:  
I'm an idiot, I kept telling myself. I would have no way of stopping Bella, in fact, she was probably set to jump in only a couple of hours. I drove along the road faster, trying to think of what I could do. I should probably apologise to Charlie, for everything... well at least for the things I could tell him, which wouldn't be much.  
It was my fault, and the least I could do is somehow be there for him, but would he want me there? I sighed as more thoughts and ideas ran through my head. Why couldn't it be so simple?  
I turned left, heading west. If I kept up this speed, and didn't stop, I should be able to make it there in a day or two. But before I saw Charlie, I'd have to hunt, I didn't want to risk hurting him as well. So I continued driving, arguments running through my head for me to turn back. My phone buzzed again, I flicked it open to see that Emmett was calling me, again. I closed my phone, and sighed, he had been calling me nonstop since I left, and I don't think Alice had told him what I was doing yet.  
Swerving past cars carefully, I watched out for police, luckily, I hadn't been stopped yet, but I was expecting it. Even though Carlisle had filled the Mercedes as he was coming home from work, I was sure I'd have to stop sometime to refill.  
Just another obstacle that tries to convince me to turn back, I thought, and drove further west, hoping I'd be able to do something helpful.

I drove the car up the winding path, that I had used consistently only months ago. Our old house, still appeared as magnificent as ever, but the grass surrounding it had grown, and it had taken upon an eerie vibe to it.  
Turning quietly into the drive, I quickly got out of the car, and began running to an old hunting spot, we had used often. I was thirsty, too thirsty to even risk it with Charlie, so I hunted down some nearby elk.  
I had convinced myself that Bella was gone now, that there was nothing I could do to bring her back. It was hard to accept, but Alice hadn't rung me to tell me otherwise. I eased the elk's suffering as I ripped into its throat, drinking it's blood until it was dry. I then led myself to another, and another, until I felt that I had over eaten.  
I ran back to the car, and regretted not taking anything with me, but my wallet. A change of clothes would have been good, but what I was in now would have to do. I quickly went back into the car, and reversed out quickly, but then I slowed myself down, I had nothing to rush for, there was nothing I could stop now. So I slowly drove along the roads that I knew would lead me directly to Bella's place.  
The drive, though short, gave me time to think about what I would say to Charlie. I had it all planned, first, I'd act as if I was just visiting, I'd hear the news and I would help Charlie as much as I could, or as much as he'd let me.  
I slowed down, and parked opposite the house, across the street, it was dark and I was sure no one was home, but I got out of the car, and walked up to the front door. I knocked a few times and waited, but I was sure no one was there, so I walked around the house, wondering if Charlie would have been outside.  
Once I was satisfied, I sat back in the car, and waited patiently for Charlie to return home. It would probably take him a while, news of Bella's death must have already reached him. The black Mercedes although not inconspicuous, blended in nicely with the dark tone the sky was taking, and it seemed as though no one had noticed it yet.  
It took a couple of minutes, but eventually Bella's truck came along the road, and stopped in front of the house. Charlie must have picked it up, but I didn't have a good view to see who was in it, I was pretty sure it was two people though, as I could hear talking from inside. Jumping out now, would not be a good idea, so I waited patiently, until Charlie would reach the front door, and then my acting would begin.  
I heard some talking, and then a laugh. A laugh? I thought, surely humans don't laugh when someone dies. But I shrugged it off, thinking of nothing else, apart from what I would say to Charlie. In the space of only a few minutes from the laugh, the driver's door opened, and then closed with sudden ferocity. "Holy Crap!" A deep, voice yelled, from inside the car.  
I watched intently, knowing that was not Charlie's voice. Then the engine began to splutter and then it faltered, this was strange, abnormal behaviour. I stayed in the Mercedes still watching the Chevy, within a minute, the engine was roaring again, and the car reversed, causing the tires to squeal.  
The headlights from the car shone on the Mercedes for a quick second, then went to something else. "Stop!" I heard a familiar girl's voice yell.  
I could see clearly into the passenger seat of the car now, it was a brown haired girl, looking straight towards the car, it was Bella. But it couldn't be Bella, I told myself. I could see her staring at the car, although she couldn't have seen me, the windows were tinted too dark to see in at this time of the day. She was alive, she didn't look hurt at all.  
More yelling came from the truck, and then it went into talking, I didn't bother listening, I couldn't take my eyes off Bella. She hadn't killed herself, not yet anyway. Suddenly the truck went into neutral, and a tall, tanned man, jumped out of the car and said "Bye Bella, I really hope you don't die."  
He then ran off, and I turned my gaze back to the car, confused about the man's odd remark. It really was Bella. The car was driving again, and was parked back in front of the house. Turning the headlights off, Bella got out of the truck quickly and looked from the car to her house. As she walked to the front door, I silently got out of the car and walked after her.  
She opened the door shakily, to show a dark hallway. As I walked closer to her, I realised she hadn't heard me yet, but I continued walking anyway. I could hear her fumbling for the light switch as I was only a metre away from her, she froze, I had thought she heard me, but she kept staring into the hallway.  
Suddenly the light was on, and Bella looked around, expectantly and sighed. I took this as my chance to talk and said, "Bella?"  
Even though I was sure it was her, it was still somehow surreal, after convincing myself that she was dead. She froze again, and turned around, "Jasper!" She yelled, a wide grin spreading across her face.  
She ran towards me and fell into my arms, hugging me. This was the last thing I had expected.

Chapter 20:  
I stopped breathing, my arms held Bella up loosely, but the rest of my body stiffened, I was not going to make another mistake. Bella hugged me harder, and her gasping soon became sobbing. I was surprised that she was even happy to see me, let alone hug me. I thought that she would have been scared, maybe even called the police, but I was far off.  
I helped her to the small couch in her living room, and sat her down there. I sat next to her, she was still crying, so I calmed her, but the roar of her emotions was strong, and she just began to lean her head on my shoulder. I used the connection to my advantage, and managed to calm her easier than before, she didn't seem to notice. "I'm... sorry." She said, "I'm just...so happy... to see you." She said between sobs.  
It must have been bad, if she was happy to see the person who almost killed her, but I shrugged it off and soothed her more. "It's okay Bella." I said, hesitating as I began.  
She nodded slightly, and continued to lean on my shoulder. I stopped my breathing as I felt an ease of my control slip away. I just had to concentrate, I know I could do this. Bella noticed my reaction and looked up to me, tears still streaming from her eyes, "Oh, sorry." She said, wiping her tears.  
"It's fine Bella, don't worry." I reassured her.  
I was glad that she accepted me so quickly, but I was unnerved about how she could be so upset. Finally, I managed to ask the one question I've wanted to ask since I saw her today, "Bella," I said.  
"Yeah."  
"How're you alive?" I asked.  
Her body stiffened slightly in the realisation of what I was talking about. "Alice saw me fall, didn't she?" Bella asked.  
"She saw you_ jump, _Bella." I insisted.  
I wondered again, what had drawn her to try and kill herself. Bella had been such a reasonable person -apart from the fact she wanted to be with a vampire- that it was hard for me to believe she would go to such lengths as to kill herself. She pursed her lips, and looked away from my face, obviously annoyed. I shook my head and said "I knew something like this would happen, Edward didn't believe it, 'Bella Promised.'" I said, mimicking Edwards's voice.  
Bella froze, she was shocked. "He even forbid Alice from looking for you in the future." I shook my head again, still angry at Edward.  
"When Alice saw you jump, she wouldn't believe it, I had to come here, I didn't want it to be my fault..." I said, looking down.  
Bella looked back at me, and gave me the same supportive smile I had received from Alice once we had left Forks. "I waited outside, for Charlie to come, so I could apologise. And somehow you drive up." I said.  
I looked back to Bella and said, "Your future went blank, Alice was sure you died. What happened?"  
Bella took a minute but eventually said, "I wasn't committing suicide."  
I wanted to believe her, but seeing how much she had cried after she saw me, convinced me otherwise. I gave her a disbelieving look, and she continued, "It was for recreational purposes only."  
I eyed her dubiously, Bella, cliff diving, recreationally? That sounded nothing like the Bella I knew. "I'd seen some of Jacob's friends cliff diving, it looked like... fun and I was bored..." She said, hesitating on the last words.  
"I didn't think about how the storm would affect the currents. Actually I didn't think about the water much at all." She said.  
I could tell she was just realising for herself how much of a suicidal jump it sounds like, but I didn't pressure her to say anything else. "So if Alice saw me go in, why didn't she see Jacob?" She asked.  
I watched her, just as confused as she seemed to be, this had never happened to Alice before. I had guessed that Jacob must have been the man with Bella, but by the way she spoke about him, he didn't sound like a man, more like a boy.  
"It's true that I probably would have drowned if Jacob hadn't jumped in after me. Well, okay, there's no probably about it. But he did, and he pulled me out, and I guess her towed me back to shore, though I was kind of out for that part. It couldn't have been more than a minute, that I was under before he grabbed me. How come Alice didn't see that?" She said.  
I ignored her question and said "Someone pulled you out?" With a slight disbelief.  
"Yes, Jacob saved me." She said, watching me carefully.  
Jacob, I was sure that name was familiar to me somehow. I breathed in quietly, and caught the smell of something awful, like wet dog. Curious, I leaned in closer to Bella, and sniffed her. She froze, all of a sudden nervous, I didn't blame her though. "Calm down." I muttered, still sniffing.  
"What are you doing?" She asked, as if it wasn't obvious.  
I leaned back, the smell that came from Bella, somewhat familiar. "Who was that man outside, with you earlier?" I asked.  
She smiled, almost laughing and said, "That _man, _is Jacob Black, he's sixteen."  
Everything she was saying sounded familiar, though I couldn't quite put it anywhere, so I continued to listen. "He's... sort of my best friend, I guess. At least, he was..." She said.  
I nodded, thinking back to the arguing I had heard in the car before Jacob had jumped out. "What?" Bella asked.  
"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully, "I need to speak to Alice."  
Bella's face lit up and she smiled a bit more, I expected her to ask if she could speak to Alice, but she remained silent. "He was a fool to think you could survive alone..." I said, thoughts of Edward seeping back through my mind.  
"But I did survive." Bella pointed out.  
I smiled slightly, and went over what she had been telling me, when something struck a chord. "If the currents were too much for you, how did Jacob manage?" I asked.  
"Jacob is... strong." Bella said, though I could tell she was hiding something.  
I raised an eyebrow, she'd tell me eventually. She thought over it for another minute, and bit her lip. "See, well, he's... sort of a werewolf. The Quileutes turn into wolves when there are vampires around. They know Carlisle from a long time ago. Where you with Carlisle back then?" She said.  
I thought for a moment, of course Bella would befriend wolves. "Well, that explains the smell, but I don't know why Alice didn't see you." I said, shaking my head slightly.  
"The smell?" She repeated, staring at me sceptically.  
"No offense Bella, but you smell awful," I said, hiding a laugh. "A werewolf, you're sure?"  
Bella nodded and said, "Very sure."  
"I guess you weren't with Carlisle the last time werewolves were in Forks?" She asked again.  
"No, I hadn't found him by then." I answered, still trying to figure out things.  
"Wait, your best friend, is a werewolf?" I asked.  
She nodded, as if it were to be expected. "How long...?" I asked, sceptical.  
"Not long," She said defensively, "He's only been a werewolf for just a few weeks."  
I wondered how much Bella knew about werewolves, but either way, I was still upset that she had befriended wolves. "A young werewolf? Bella..." I said, shaking my head.  
"Edward was right, you're a magnet for danger."  
Bella's brow creased, and her anger grew "There's nothing wrong with werewolves." She argued.  
"Yeah, until they lose their tempers." I said, and suddenly saw something click in Bella's head, she had already known that.  
"Leave it to you, Bella. Vampires leave town, and you start to hang out with the first monsters you find." I said.  
"Not all the vampires left town Jasper. That's the whole trouble. If it weren't for the werewolves, Victoria would have gotten me by now. Well if it weren't for Jake and his friends, Laurent would have gotten me." She pointed out.  
What Bella had said had got to me, Peter was right, Victoria had been going for Bella. Again, I had made another mistake, I had been told what was going on, but I didn't listen, I should have explored it further. I shook my head, "Danger magnet, remember?" Bella said lightly, pointing to herself.  
I shook my head, confused at how calm she seemed to be, without my help. "Bella, what happened after we left?" I asked.  
She hesitated slightly, her whole body, seemed to be preparing for what she was about to say. She began telling the story, she talked of going deeper into the woods that Edward had left her at, and getting lost. She was then rescued by Sam Uley, the leader of the wolf pack, her story was not very detailed, I could tell she didn't want to talk about it too much.  
She then began talking about Jacob, her emotions became happier, her voice more care free, and I wondered if there was more going on with Jacob than I thought. She went onto when he changed, and how he had avoided her, and then when she began hanging with the wolves. She truly didn't believe that there was anything wrong with them, but her stories told of Victoria, and the wolves, who had managed to scare her away.  
The details became hazier and she started talking about the cliffs, and how she had been bored. She explained a weird view of a strange flame that floated on the water, I had a few ideas, but kept quiet, and listened to her story. After jumping she had been saved by Jacob, and had later on found out that Harry Clearwater, one of Charlie's friends, had died of a heart attack.  
Her voice grew lower, and eventually her story ended, "Our leaving didn't do you any good, did it?" I asked.  
She laughed once, in a slight hysterical way, and said "That was never the point, though, was it? It's not like you left for my benefit."  
I looked to the floor, that was the main reason for us leaving, but Edward hadn't wanted to tell her that. I yearned to tell her, and looked up into her eyes, it wasn't fair. "I guess, I shouldn't have come." I sighed, and looked towards the entrance of the house, then back to Bella.  
The blood drained from her face, and a feeling or unease settled, "Don't go Jasper," She pleaded, and wrapped her fingers in my jacket, as if that would stop me. "Please don't leave me."  
I sighed again, and watched her fingers loosen, I could tell she was struggling to breathe, "I'm not going anywhere tonight. Breathe Bella." I said.  
It took her a minute, but her breathing patterns returned to normal, and I waited for her to relax again. Looking at her, she seemed different, from the time we had left her. Her hair, though wet, hadn't seemed to have been cared for, there were dark shadows under her eyes, and she was paler than she had been before. I could tell she wasn't just like this because of what had happened recently, it went deeper than that. "You look like hell, Bella." I said.  
she flinched slightly, "I did drown today." She reminded me.  
I shook my head, "It's more than that..."  
"I'm doing my best." She said, slightly hurt, but seemed to hear some truth to what I was saying.  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"It hasn't been easy, I'm working on it." She clarified.  
I wondered, how often she thought of Edward, if at all. If he could just see her now, see her like this, I knew he wouldn't leave her side ever again. "I told him," I muttered.  
"Jasper," She sighed, "What did you think you were going to find, besides me dead? Did you really expect to find me skipping around whistling show tunes? Even you know me better than that."  
I thought again, "I do, but I still hoped," I said.  
Bella seemed, empty, a shell of what once was a normal eighteen year old girl. An awkward silence occurred, and the phone rang, "Charlie," Bella muttered, standing up.  
She took my wrist, and guided me into the kitchen with her, I almost laughed, but decided to stay quiet. "Charlie?" She said, as she answered the phone.  
"No, it's me," I heard the same voice from earlier say.  
"Jake!" Bella said, her emotions becoming happier, and her face lifting.  
I watched her carefully, and she sent an apologetic look my way.  
"Just making sure you were still alive." He said.  
It was hard to believe he was sixteen, from hearing his voice, I would have said he was at least in his twenties. "I'm fine, I told you that it wasn't-" Bella began, but was cut off by Jacob.  
"Yeah, I got it, bye." He said, and hung up.  
Bella sighed, "That's going to be a problem."  
I watched her carefully, obviously they didn't care for us at all, not that I was surprised. "They don't like me being here." I said.  
"Not especially, but it's none of their business anyway." Bella said, looking over to me.  
Another silence came, and Bella began leaning on the counter. "What now?" I asked.  
"I don't know," She shrugged, "How long will you stay?" She asked, looking at me with pleading eyes.  
I sighed, Edward was already going to be mad that I even visited, I don't think it could get any worse. "I'm not sure, I need to talk to Alice." I said.  
Bella took this as a no, "Stay, please? Just for a little while." She begged.  
"You can stay here." She said, and then her face fell as she realised.  
"Charlie won't like that," I said, voicing both our thoughts, "I have a house Bella."  
She nodded, and disappointment ran through her, she hugged me again, lighter than before, then stepped back quickly. "I need to ring Alice first," I clarified, "I'll be back within the hour."  
I looked at Bella once more, then walked outside towards the Mercedes, hoping Alice would know what to do, because I didn't have a clue.

Chapter 21:  
"Jasper," Alice answered the phone, I could hear some sort of joy through her voice.  
"She's alive." I said.  
"I know, but don't leave her alone Jazz." She ordered, her voice turning icy.  
"I won't Alice, but why?" I asked.  
She went quiet for a second, and said, "She needs you, she needs someone, if you leave now, she'll just get worse. And it's not like Edward could get any madder at you."  
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me, "Yeah, I thought of that too."  
I leant back onto the Mercedes and looked over to Bella's house. I could hear the quiet thrumming of water; no doubt she was having a shower. "Jasper," Alice said, refocusing me, "I have faith in you, but don't make it worse."  
"Okay Alice, I'll see you later then." I said.  
"Love you, bye." She said, and hung up.  
I closed my phone and looked around, it was dark now, and I was worried, that with the wolves gone, Victoria might use this time to attack Bella. But I told myself that I would not let Bella get hurt, at least not while I was around.  
I spent another few minutes outside, giving Bella enough time to shower and change. Once I was sure she was ready, I walked back into the house silently, to see her microwaving some food. I grimaced slightly, and sat quickly behind the counter without her noticing me. The buzzer went, and she got her food out, and turned around. "Jasper," She said, "You scared me."  
I smiled, and she sat next to me with her food, eating quickly. "Do you-" She began, but then she shook her head and continued eating.  
I almost laughed, she'd been away from us so long she thought I was hungry, well I was, but not for that. We sat there silently as she ate, not speaking, and she drank a lot of water. "Jasper, can I ask you something?" She asked quietly, staring at her plate.  
"Go ahead." I said, watching her intently.  
"Does-does he..." She said, and took a deep breath, she was obviously struggling. "Does Edward know you're here?" She finally asked.  
I thought about my answer carefully, it would be easier for Bella if I didn't explain to her the specifics, so I said "No." Not yet, I added to myself.  
I would be lucky if Edward didn't kill me after he found out what I did, but still as I sat here, I knew it was worth it. "He's not with Carlisle and Esme?" She asked.  
"He only checks in every few months." I said, and I could feel the disappointment flowing through her.  
"You drove here, from where?" She asked, sounding almost desperate.  
"Bella..." I said, I didn't want to have to lie to her, but I didn't want her to go and try to find Edward.  
"I get it," She said quietly, shaking her head. "So, no one else is with you?"  
I shook my head "The other's don't know, apart from Alice of course, and Rosalie."  
Bella's reaction to Rosalie's name was stiffness, she looked around the kitchen, avoiding my gaze. I heard a car, coming from the street, it began to slow as it reached the front of the house.  
"Charlie's here, I better leave." I said.  
"No," She pleaded, looking back to me, "Let me ask him, if you can stay, please." She said.  
I nodded, and looked over towards the door, that was slowly opening. Charlie, was depressed, I could sense his feelings, it was hard to be around. Bella ran up to him, and hugged him around the waist, he hugged her back, and I slowly stood up. "I'm so sorry about Harry, Dad." Bella said.  
"I'm really going to miss him," Charlie mumbled to Bella.  
"How's Sue doing?"  
Charlie, "She seems dazed. Like she hasn't grasped it yet. Sam's staying with her... Those poor kids, Leah's just a year older than you, and Seth is only fourteen..." Charlie said, shaking his head.  
Charlie walked a bit further into the room, an arm still around Bella, and looked up to see me. Surprise hit him first, then confusion, and then a trace of anger. I moved closer, and stood only a few metres away from him. "Um, Dad. Jasper's here." She announced.  
He nodded slowly, and kept his eyes on me, as if I were some threat, but I ignored it, he had his reasons. "Hello Charlie." I said.  
"Jasper, as in Jasper Hale?" He asked, looking from me to Bella.  
She nodded encouragingly, and Charlie looked back to me. "I was just visiting." I lied.  
I figured the less Charlie knew, the better it was for all of us, but he didn't seem to believe me. "Is Carlisle..." He began.  
"No, it's just me." I said, catching an undertone of thoughts.  
Charlile wasn't really asking about Carlisle, it was more of a question of whether Edward was here or not. "Can Jasper stay here tonight?" Bella pleaded.  
I didn't have to be able to read Charlie's thoughts to know the answer, "I'm pretty sure Jasper has a house Bella." He said.  
Bella sighed. I was sure Charlie wasn't going to give up, unless Bella got on two knees, but knowing Bella, she was too stubborn to do that, at least for me. Charlie looked at me apologetically, and I nodded back, it was his house, and if anything, he was probably making the right decision.  
Charlie looked at his watch, then back up to me "You can stay here a little longer though, if you want." He offered.  
Bella smiled, nodding her head minutely, I smiled back at Charlie and said "Thank you, I know it's probably not a good time for me to be here."  
"No, no, it's okay," He said, " I'm going to be really busy doing what I can for Harry's family; it will be nice for Bella to have some company. You are staying, aren't you?"  
Bella, once again put on a pleading face, as if she were a toddler begging for a toy, but I'd do whatever Alice asked me to do. "I'll be in town for a few days." I assured him, smiling slightly.  
Bella nodded as I finished talking and turned to Charlie, "Dinner's ready, you just have to microwave it."  
"Thanks, Bell." He said, hugging Bella one more time, and then walked towards the kitchen.  
Bella smiled and walked past me to the couch, I followed quietly. We sat down together, and then Bella hesitantly rested her head on my shoulder again. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked, looking up to me.  
"It's fine," I said, relaxing her at the same time, "You look tired."  
"Yeah," She said, and shrugged, "Near-death experiences do that to me... so what does Carlisle think of you being here?"  
"I don't think he knows, at least not yet anyway. I left in a hurry, and only Alice really knew what I was going to do. They've been trying to ring me, I haven't answered yet, I'm planning on ringing them tomorrow." I answered.  
"You won't tell _him, _though... when he checks in again?" She asked.  
I could sense the pain Bella went through when she thought of Edward, it was entirely too much to even say his name. I shook my head, at both Bella's condition and to her question, "No, he'd bite my head off." I said, probably stating something close to the truth.  
She laughed slightly, then sighed again. Seeing Bella this tired, was almost like asking me to relax her. So I calmed her, and waited until her breathing settled and I knew she was asleep.  
Carefully and quietly I moved away from her, letting her head lie back onto the couch.  
I stood up and studied her for another couple of seconds, she'd be asleep for awhile as far as I could tell. I walked into the kitchen to find Charlie cleaning up his plate, he turned around, and looked at me for a second. "She's asleep," I said, gesturing to the living room.  
Charlie shrugged for a second and moved closer to me, "Sounds about right, she looked very tired to me." He shook his head slightly, and looked around.  
I took this as my cue to leave and said a quick good bye, walking outside and going back to the Mercedes. I sat in the driver's seat for a minute, considering whether I should stay here all night, with Victoria being around. But I decided against it, she'd be safe for another night, and I was sure the wolves would still be covering the Victoria problem.  
I drove the car back to my house, and opened the door using the spare keys kept inside the Mercedes. It was exactly as we had left it, sheets covering the furniture, nothing was out of place.  
I went to my room, took a few clothes and packed them into a bag, which I put into the Mercedes. I don't think Charlie would be happy if I kept on returning to the house with the same clothes on.  
And after that, I began walking through the woods that held the treaty line. Victoria wouldn't have the nerve to go any closer to Bella today, but she could be wandering around these woods right now. I sighed and walked deeper and deeper, waiting for the sun to come up, or something to happen.


End file.
